Fire Red, Emerald
by Crazy Cat Lady
Summary: Apologies, but this is not to be continued in the foreseeable future.  But, never say never...  I've lost interest in KP/Kigo  although I'll probably never lose interest in Pokemon . Thank you all who have read & reviewed.
1. Back in Business

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Well since discovering the wonders of Kigo several months ago (I'm a bit behind the times, heh heh) I knew the time would come that I'd have a go at writing my own Kigo fic. There were several different story ideas I had, but decided to pursue this one first, as it appealed to me the most... anyway I'd like to dedicate this to all the wonderful Kigo writers out there who have kept me busy reading their fics over the past few months, particularly the likes of King in Yellow, Starving Lunatic and The Humbug. You guys are the fashizzle, yo.

Anyways, this is somewhat of a crossover story, the crossover being Pokemon. And no, the human characters from the Pokemon anime are nowhere to be found, I'm not a huge fan of the anime... its more like the KP characters in a universe where Pokemon replace the normal animals of the world. But it is still a Pokeverse, with Trainers, Gym Battles and whatnot.

Better do the disclaimer thing too I guess. I own nothing. Nothing, I tell you! Oh and the standard Kigo-shoujo-ai-goodness warning applies, so no likey, no read-y.

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**"Fire Red, Emerald"**

**Chapter 1**

**"Back in Business"**

Kim stared, absentmindedly, at the pile of books that adorned her bed. From her position at her computer desk, she wished for the mountain of homework to somehow complete itself. With a heavy sigh and fractional slump of her shoulders, she then turned back toward her softly glowing LCD computer screen, intent on losing herself in a mind-numbingly simple game of solitaire.

Everything has been so quiet since graduation. At first, the eager-to-learn Kim had been understandably excited about beginning her college studies. She had even been granted special permission to study at several universities across the world due to her globe-trotting hero activities, so she would not fall behind in her classes. Yet the irony was, with so little villain activity occurring in the past six months, she mainly stayed at home, still with her parents, to attend her primary campus, Middleton University, seemingly with ample time to study… but could currently not force herself to stay up-to-date with her homework. Wild dorm parties were not to blame, either.

Kim could not ascertain when precisely her mild depression had struck, but such ailments tended to have a way with sneaking gradually into one's life rather than suddenly exploding onto the scene with fanfare and streamers. All Kim knew was, for the past half-year, since graduating from high school, something had felt… incomplete about her life. A growing feeling of emptiness that seemed to worsen everyday. It left her lethargic and unmotivated, and this certainly did not go unnoticed by those closest to the redhead.

Despite the inherent danger of missions, Ron almost wished the villain world was more active—if only to see Kim resemble her usual self, at least for a little while. He, and Kim's family, were loathe to see her in this depressive state, and utterly clueless as to how to help her. Not through lack of trying; quite the contrary, in fact. Just, nothing seemed to have any long term effect. She may perk up for a while, perhaps genuinely or perhaps for show in order to ease her loved ones' concern, but before long she's descend into the doldrums again.

Kim's altered mental state had even contributed to her breaking-up with Ron. Ron had believed that somehow, he was to blame for her consistently low mood of late, and offered to take a break, if that was what Kim needed. Kim, of course, was adamant that her depression had nothing to do with Ron. If anything, he was one of the bright shining lights of her life; and she herself felt guilty for dragging him down into her uncharacteristic melancholic condition. All this, plus the added pressures of starting college—at different universities, nonetheless—and they both agreed it was probably for the best to revert their relationship to that of Best Friends Forever, at least for the time being. They knew they loved each other, and always would, but whether it was romantic, platonic, familial… they weren't entirely certain, but it didn't matter. They'd always be there for one another.

Ron had also chastised himself on being an unworthy boyfriend for being unable to lift Kim's spirits recently. He knew that the hole, the emptiness that now existed inside of her, could not be fulfilled by him, and that made him feel… inadequate. But, he would be there as a friend. Always. He just wished he knew how to bring the old Kim Possible back…

Kim sighed again, running a hand through wayward auburn locks as she continued to ponder the digital playing cards onscreen. Despite what her family and friends thought, despite what she'd told them—that she did not know why she had been so miserable lately—that was not entirely the truth. Deep down, as much as she wished it wasn't true, as much as she tried to ignore and deny the building despair that gnawed at her insides… she knew.

She knew because of the fleeting images that danced across her vision when she was drifting between sleep and wakefulness. She knew because of the dreams her subconscious created, a mixture of real-life memories and images intermingled with fantasy. She knew because of the uneasy twinge she felt in the pit of her stomach whenever she saw a certain combination of two colours…

Shego… she missed Shego.

In what capacity, she wasn't even certain. Perhaps it was the physical contest; the thrill of fighting someone who was her equal. Perhaps she simply missed the very presence of the older woman… as much as the latter explanation confused and disturbed her slightly.

Kim could admit though, if only to herself, within the silent recesses of her mind, that without the temperamental brunette in her life, something felt… missing.

Six months had passed, with no sign of Drakken and Shego. Which was good, in and of itself, as it insinuated that the criminals had, hopefully, retired from the super villain lifestyle. But Kim couldn't help but wonder… were they just laying low, waiting for the perfect time to strike? Had they gone their separate ways? Was Shego reclining on a tropical beach somewhere, without a care in the world? Did she… did she think about Kim at all?

_Gah!_ Kim shut her eyes tightly, hoping to banish her unsettling thoughts. _She'd probably laugh in my face if she knew I was feeling like this…_

She drew in a deep breath, ran a hand through her tresses again, and slowly opened her eyes. When she did, she was somewhat astonished to discover her game of solitaire had been replaced onscreen by Wade's visage.

"Hey Kim," the young African-American genius greeted, "seemed like you needed a moment there."

"Hi Wade," Kim returned the greeting, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. "How long have you been waiting for me to notice you there?"

"Not long. College getting to you?" Wade half-joked, not believing a meager endeavour such as college could slow the great Kim Possible down.

"Uhhh…" Kim cast a brief glance toward the stack of books ominously awaiting her upon the bed. "Yeah, something like that."

Wade's eyes widened momentarily, as he wondered if he had heard correctly. His expression quickly settled though, as he remembered the intention of his call. "Well, something's come up. You'll never guess who's bothering the peaceful rut of Team Possible."

Kim felt her mood lifting considerably; having a mission to distract her from her thoughts would be all too welcome. "What's the sitch?" Even saying her trademark quote brightened the redhead; missions had been few and far between of late.

"Drakken and Shego are back."

Kim's smile, which had been growing since the notion of a mission first became apparent, immediately dropped. _Speak of the devil… well not that I even __**had**__ to speak. Just __**thinking**__ of the devil, it seems, will make him—or __**her**__, rather—appear…_

Kim was conflicted, and it became evident on her face. On one hand, the silence of Shego's absence had gradually become deafening. On the other hand, no news was good news, as one could have assumed that she had turned over a new leaf…

"I know…" Wade, to a certain extent, knew what Kim was thinking, and sympathised. "Just when we think they've quit the villain game for good..." He sighed and glanced away briefly before continuing. "Thing is, Drakken doesn't even seem to be trying this time."

"What do you mean?" Kim's voice was quiet, and faintly tinged with sadness.

"Recycled idea," Wade scoffed, seeming borderline disgusted. "It appears he's stolen some new, improved version of the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer."

Kim groaned and rolled her eyes toward the heavens.

"I know, I know," Wade continued with a slight laugh. "He's even returned to one of his old lairs. I'll send the co-ordinates to your car's GPS now."

"Thanks Wade."

"Hey, no problem." With a warm smile, he turned his attention toward his keyboard for a moment, fingers whizzing across the keys with practiced efficiency. "And… done. Ron should be waiting for you when you drive by his house."

Kim was half-standing now, somehow eager yet hesitant at the same time to change into her mission clothes. "You rock, Wade."

"I know."

Kim couldn't help but grow a small smile at her friend's casual immodesty. "So any idea what Drakken has got planned for the PDVI this time?"

"Nope, no clue. But this is Drakken, remember. Could be anything…"

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"…And then Kim Possible will be no more, and I will be free to take over the world! Mwahahahahaaa!" Drakken threw his head back and cackled evilly, as only a super villain could. In one of his tiny gloved hands, he held a contraption resembling a ray gun, with the enhanced Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer snugly fitted between the ray's barrel and handle, obviously a vital part of the weapon. 

Drakken let his maniacal laughter die down, and when he received no response to his proclamation, the mad scientist spun around angrily.

"Shego! Weren't you even listening?"

"Huh?" Shego glanced up, having previously been transfixed with her talon-like nails. "Oh, yeah, right. Your new invention thingy will do something to Kimmie, leaving you to take over the world, blah blah blah, then you have a nice cup of cocoa-moo. Whatever."

She was seated several feet away from the blue madman, her legs resting casually upon an adjacent table. She could not believe Drakken had reneged on his plan to retire from villainy, interrupting her lovely vacation when he called up practically begging for her to return to his employ. Not only was that annoying enough, but he had decided to set up operations in one of his abandoned, decrepit lairs, and had hired no henchmen, so it was just the blue dolt, herself, and some bleak scenery. Oh, and said blue dolt's 'new' plan which, Shego fumed over silently, was a blatantly rehashed idea!

The only reasons Shego had agreed to this so-called 'comeback' were because, one, she was becoming somewhat bored lying on a beach all day, and two, the chance to fight Kimmie again after a six month break.

_Hmm, wonder if she'll have any new moves to surprise me with_, Shego wondered idly, completely oblivious to the dark-coloured, manic eyes glaring at her.

"Shego," Drakken began through gritted teeth, "I would have thought after a six month hiatus you would have been more attentive to my plans!"

"Guess you thought wrong," Shego answered non-chalantly, not even bothering to look at Drakken. _Six months away from you isn't nearly enough…_

Finally, she glanced up, practically able to hear the whistling sound indicating steam escaping from Drakken's ears at his second-in-command's continued insolence. "So remind me again why we're doing this? I thought you planned to go legit with your sciencey-techy stuff."

Drakken's face partially relaxed, now that Shego appeared to be paying him some mind. "Well… I did plan that, but… they… those…" His blue features darkened, as he prepared to enter rant-mode. "Those other villains! Saying I'd gone soft! That I didn't have it in me! Grrr!" He threw his head back dramatically, glaring at the ceiling now. "I'll show them! I'll show them all! The Seniors, Monkey Fist, Dementor… they think they're all that, but they're not!!"

Shego scowled. "So basically this is just a giant pissing contest, huh?"

Drakken's head snapped back down. "EXACTLY! I mean… no, wait… GRRR!" The mad scientist then stamped his foot and whined, "Sheeeggooo!"

"Yep. Giant pissing contest. Men, oy." The green-skinned mercenary and thief extraordinaire crossed her arms and sighed. _Man, Dr.D really needs to grow up. And people say __**I**__ suffer from a bad case of Arrested Development…_

Shego would never admit it out loud, least of all to Drakken, but she was beginning to feel jaded about her current line of work. Her heart just wasn't in the villainy game anymore, and needless to say she was in two minds about this whole 'comeback' business. Sure, she loved the rush, the excitement, the money that benefited from living such a lifestyle… but the more she pondered it, the more she reasoned that there were other less… nefarious ways to achieve those things. Not to mention that it was a harsh villain eat villain underworld, and she was tired with constantly looking over her shoulder, unable to trust anyone.

_And then there's Kimmie_. Shego couldn't help but break into a smile, half mischievous and half fond, as she became increasingly lost in her own thoughts. _If I did drop out of the villain game, I guess I could always get my fix by showing up unannounced, start insulting her to provoke her into a fight for old time's sake… heh…_

She returned her gaze to Drakken, who was now pacing the room whilst stroking his new ray-gun rather affectionately, his jaw clenched tightly. Shego knew that there was perhaps a 0.5 per-cent chance that Drakken's latest plan, whatever it was, would succeed as he had envisioned it. She was confident that the gun would most likely just blow up in his hands, and that Kimmie would be safe. Heck, she'd bet money on it…

Any further speculation was dismissed as both henchwoman and pacing madman were interrupted by a pair of creaking doors being powerfully kicked open nearby. Instantly, Kim Possible strode confidently into the room, followed closely by her ever-loyal sidekick Ron Stoppable. The third active member of Team Possible, the naked mole rat Rufus, sat perched atop Ron's shoulder, ready for action as much as his two human companions were.

"Kim Possible!" Drakken haughtily declared, "I knew you'd find your way to our little… reunion!"

"So not in the mood, Drakken," Kim shot back, placing her hands upon her hips. Her eyes then fell on Shego, who was still sitting, apparently not perturbed by Team Possible's intrusion. The raven-haired beauty only smirked and waved in their direction, causing Kim to first blink in confusion, then frown in disappointment.

"We thought you guys quit," Ron spoke up, expressing Kim's concerns also. On the ride over, Kim had been exceptionally quiet, particularly considering that there was a mission at hand. This concerned her Best Friend Since Pre-K, and although Ron wanted to ask what was on her mind, he chose to remain silent for the time being, intending to question her later. He knew, at least, that Kim was disheartened by the fact that Drakken and Shego had re-entered the villain circle, hoping that they had opted out of crime for good. It was a hope that Ron shared, if only to make the lives of Team Possible a little easier. "But I guess some things never change, huh KP?"

He was smiling, trying to lighten the mood, but Kim's gaze was intensely focused on Shego, her expression silently questioning: _Why?_

"Change is never easy, Pumpkin," Shego answered, as she now began to stand up. Although her words were spoken sagely, her expression was teasing. "Especially for Blue Boy over there."

"Now is not the time to get philosophical, Shego!" Drakken complained, waving his arms like an attention-seeking toddler. This drew attention to his newest weapon, which Kim eyed suspiciously.

"Running out of ideas, Drakken?" The redheaded hero began, taking a step forward. "Isn't that the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer I see there?"

"Ah, good times," Shego joked, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly, as if reminiscing. Kim couldn't help but smirk slightly at the mercenary's display.

"This," Drakken puffed his chest out with pride, "has the power to send any person or object to another dimension entirely! Behold!"

Kim raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And that's useful… how?"

"Simple," Drakken spoke in a low voice now, as a sneer turned his thin lips upwards, "I will use it to get rid of YOU! So long, Kim Possible!" With that, he aimed the clunky gun-like contraption squarely at the young auburn-haired woman.

"Hey, hey, woah!" Shego interjected, waving her hands in front of her employer's face, much to his annoyance. "What, I don't even get to fight her first? Where's the fun in that? C'mon, it's been months!"

"SHEGO!" Drakken bellowed, his face becoming purple with anger, "STOP DISTRACTING ME!"

But alas, distracted he was, and Ron saw this as an opportune time to lunge forward and tackle the cobalt-skinned scientist to the ground, before frantically try to pry the inter-dimensional ray gun from the madman's tiny fingers.

"Wow, you're becoming an even better distraction than Ron," Kim quipped, moving into her fighting stance as she stared the older woman down.

"I try my best," Shego smugly replied, before positioning herself in her own martial arts stance. "Shall we dance, Kitten?"

"It's been too long," Kim couldn't help but smile, as she became filled with nostalgia at the familiar situation in which she currently found herself.

"Indeed."

And with that, the dance began.

Attacks, counters, dodges, feints… they all, and other moves besides, contributed to the intricately woven display of graceful violence that Kim and Shego quickly became engrossed in.

Swaying to dodge a kick aimed at her midsection, Kim noticed how remarkably swift they were to fall back into their usual rhythm, as if the last time they had fought like so was merely yesterday. She also noticed that Shego was enjoying herself immensely, practically laughing as she circled around Kim, poised to strike or defend at a millisecond's notice.

"It _has _been too long, Pumpkin," Shego chuckled as she swiped her talons towards Kim's face. "I've missed this."

Kim easily blocked the swipe, before grabbing Shego's forearm and twisting around behind the villainess's back, taking said forearm with her. Shego didn't have a chance to grimace in pain as Kim placed a lightening quick kick squarely between the older woman's shoulders, sending her stumbling forward. Shego recovered quickly though, as was to be expected, spinning around mid-stumble and using the momentum of the impact to hop a few more sprightly steps backwards. A grin was still plastered on her pale green face, and Kim didn't know whether to feel annoyed, wary or relieved that Shego did not seem to be taking this fight too seriously.

"What gives, Shego?" Kim asked, now that there was some distance between them. "I mean, you haven't even lit up your hands. And you're enjoying this WAY too much."

"Doy. I said I missed fighting you," Shego replied matter-of-factly, her hands placed upon her hips now, despite Kim not breaking her fighting stance. "And hey, what's with you? Thought you woulda missed it too. But you just seem to be going through the motions. That's not like you, Princess."

Kim relaxed her stance a little, but not her facial expression, which was a mixture of concentration and frustration. "You… you were supposed to not be doing this anymore! I thought you might have come to your senses, finally given up this life, but no. You just wanna continue to take the easy way out!" Kim couldn't quell her rising anger, glaring now at her opponent, who seemed unfazed by the accusatory tirade.

"I told you before. Change isn't easy." Shego had moved her arms to fold them across her chest, and despite her defensive posture, her voice was surprisingly soft. "Old habits die hard, or something like that, y'know?" She chuckled at the end of her statement, and Kim was sure she witnessed a glint of… uncertainty in the older woman's striking emerald eyes. Her own glare lessened in intensity, as her stance relaxed even further.

"But…" Kim's voice was quiet, as her head swam with a tumultuous mixture of emotions, "you'd be willing… maybe… to try?" Her last words were hopeful, more hopeful than she wished to sound, for reasons even beyond herself.

Shego never had a chance to answer however, as Ron's startled cry of "KP, HE BIT ME!" interrupted her slightly strained conversation with her redheaded adversary.

Whirling around toward the scuffling males, Shego wore her most condescending smirk when she said: "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Dr.D has had his rabies shot."

"GAH!" Drakken cried out, both at the frustration of being unable to fulfill his plan, and at Shego's smarmy comment. Ron, caught by surprise by the Doctor's underhanded tactic of indeed biting him, was wide open to the forceful elbow Drakken impacted his ribs with. The blonde boy went hurtling to the side, grimacing in pain, as Rufus was sent flying from the fray. Drakken now saw his chance at attaining victory, with Kim instantly moving to inspect the injured Ron. The mad scientist hastily grabbed his ray-gun, and without a word of warning, aimed at Kim and pulled the trigger.

Kim was mid-stride when the luminous white light enveloped her, sending a tingling sensation surging through her body. The last sight her large leaf green eyes saw was that of Ron, half sitting up, staring at her with a panic-stricken expression.

Then, Kim Possible vanished into nothingness.

"KP!" Ron croaked out, stumbling to his feet. He lunged toward the area where she had just been, before calling again in a louder voice. "KP!"

Shego stood frozen in shock. She had difficulty processing what she had just witnessed, that Drakken's invention had actually worked as it was meant to. The apparently successful blue doctor's laughter soon infiltrated her shock, however.

"YES!" Drakken declared in maniacal glee. "It worked! She's gone! MWAHAHAHAAA!"

Ron clenched his fists tightly, an all-consuming anger welling up within him. "What… did… you… do?!"

Drakken beamed at his latest invention, seemingly unaware of the younger man's fury that threatened to erupt at any moment. "Oh, you know, sent her to another dimension, alternate reality, parallel universe, whatever you want to call it."

"WHAT?" Ron practically barked. "What dimension? Where?!"

Drakken shrugged in response, unaffected by Ron's displays of extreme emotion. "Who knows? Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to actually _pinpoint_ another dimension to send her to? Could be anything, a world similar to ours or vastly different, a world of perpetual Wednesdays…"

By this time Ron was moving forward, intent on strangling the demented doctor unless he agreed to bring Kim back. Much to Ron's surprise, however, another pair of hands shot forward before his, latching onto the collar of Drakken's lab coat, effectively manhandling him.

"Bring. Her. Back. NOW!" Shego demanded in a dangerously low voice, shaking Drakken with each word for added emphasis.

"What?! But Shego, I… ACK! Shego it's not that simple!" Drakken blubbered, unsure why his second-in-command was so livid, but fearing for his life nonetheless.

Ron stood, dumbfounded, watching intently. He was intrigued as to why Shego seemed as adamant to punish Drakken as he was, but silently pleased to have her onside.

Dissatisfied with Drakken's rambling explanations, Shego forcefully pushed him backwards, where he solidly collided with a concrete wall.

"Shego," Drakken pleaded as he slid toward the floor, assuming a seated position. "Shego, please, inter-dimensional travel is very tricky and I…"

"I don't care!" The green-hued woman practically roared with fury. "Just fix it NOW!"

Ron, face affixed with his own boiling anger, moved beside Shego and coolly added, "What she said."

Drakken gulped. As he contracted himself as much as possible, still seated against the chilly concrete wall, he couldn't help but become filled with a child-like terror. As he was glared upon by the blazing emerald eyes of his henchwoman, the sharp, focused chocolate brown eyes of one Ron Stoppable, and now a third set of eyes belonging to a certain naked mole rat, the mad scientist could only manage to conjure one coherent thought: _I should __**really**__ upgrade my health plan… _

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In the same instant that Kim vanished from the realm of her own reality, another Kim Possible, the Kim Possible of the alternate universe that the first had been sent to, was inexplicably spirited away to the gap that existed between dimensions. Time did not exist there, nor did pain, nor happiness. The Kim that was banished to this hollow abyss of infinity merely fell into a deep sleep, unaware of what had happened to her, as she began to drift peacefully and endlessly through the void. 

Her sleep was filled with dreams, strange and vivid dreams that she would never be able to explain if anyone ever asked her of them. Dreams where she saw herself living an entirely different life, amongst a world filled with unusual creatures. They were pleasant enough dreams, more akin to memories perhaps, but perplexing nonetheless.

As this Kim drifted and dreamt, a single pair of red eyes watched silently from within the void. The being said eyes belonged to was puzzled, but not overly concerned.

_A spatial anomaly has occurred… Haven't had one of those in what seems like millennia…_ The creature pondered as it watched, its glowing red eyes appearing thoughtful.

_Do not worry child… It is impossible to send you home right away, as there are countless realities from where you might have come. But the answer will reveal itself eventually. _

The creature knew the girl would befall no harm, and satisfied to leave the situation as it was for the time being, it thoughtfully nodded once.

_In time, my child. In time…_


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

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Heh, don't expect all updates to be this quick, I just wanted to get this fic up and running. But I do have an overall plan for what is going to happen, and have every intention to finish what I start, so that's good, right? Oh and I should warn I use British spelling, so don't complain about u's that shouldn't be or s's where there should be z's. XD Anyway thanks to all who have read, reviewed and placed this on alert thus far. Hope you enjoy this chappie. :)

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**CHAPTER 2**

"**Not in Kansas Anymore"**

Kim blinked several times in surprise. One moment, she was at Drakken's lair. The next, she was in the midst of a lush, dense forest. It was night time, just as it had been when Kim had received Wade's call regarding Drakken and Shego's re-emergence.

The half-moon shone brightly in the sparsely clouded sky, casting Kim's surroundings in an eerie luminescent glow. An array of wildlife sounds assaulted the young hero's ears, most of which seemed foreign, bizarre. This caused Kim to tense slightly. She had no idea where she was, but she knew that the blue imbecile known as Doctor Drakken was responsible for her current misplacement.

Gathering her thoughts, Kim fished out her Kimmunicator from its resting place in one of her pant pockets. She tried to contact Ron first, as he had been with her just before Drakken had shot her with that unwieldy ray-gun of his. Receiving no response other than static, Kim felt a mild twinge of panic. Never one to lose her head in stressful situations, she then attempted to contact Wade. Again, nothing but static.

Her chest tightening, Kim closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. _OK, so you have no idea where you are and no way to contact anyone. So let's go through what you __**do**__ know… _Kim began to slowly trek forward through the thick wood as she tried to rationalise her current situation. _Drakken is back in villainy… with Shego… although her heart didn't seem in it. I almost got through to her before Drakken decided to zap me, I just know it! …GAH! __**So**__ not the time to get distracted! _Kim shook her head slightly in order to clear her mind from thoughts regarding the raven-haired villainess, as she deftly ducked under some overhanging foliage. _So he stole some new improved PDVI… fired that ray-gun at me, to which the PDVI was attached, and… uh oh._

Kim stopped dead in her tracks, just metres short of a clustered thicket of trees, as a horrible realisation dawned upon her.

_Oh no… oh no no no!_ She glanced around frantically, her eyes already adequately adjusted to the dim of night, critically inspecting her surroundings. _But… this place doesn't seem too weird… it's a forest, sure, but other than that… maybe… maybe he just rewired the PDVI into some sort of teleportation device and I'm in a forest on the outskirts of Middleton…_

Kim's attempt to calm herself through unbridled optimism was interrupted when the athletic redhead suddenly noticed… _something_ move out of the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head to face the indiscernible object squarely, and narrowed her eyes, focusing them. Still, she could only decipher a crude silhouette, and tentatively took a step closer. In response, the darkened figure, obscured by shadows and the tree it hid near, seemed to move back slightly, seeming alarmed.

"Who's there?" Kim asked, barely above a whisper. "I won't hurt you…"

She edged closer, her breath quickening, not knowing what to expect. As the image of the being became sharper, Kim noticed, thanks to the moonlight dancing across its features, that protruding from somewhere was… a vine.

Needless to say, Kim did a double take. This creature had moved in response to her voice, making it appear to be a sentient being… yet it possessed plant vines as part of its anatomy? The young hero's mind instantly wandered to past encounters with Professor Dementor, as well as DNAmy, as she silently prayed once again that Drakken had only blasted her with a teleportation ray.

_Although why he would send me to the wildlife garden of another super villain is beyond me… _

The creature, sensing no malicious intent in the approaching human, moved away from the tree that partly shielded it, and at last, Kim saw it clearly.

Her bright green eyes widened, as she let out a startled "Eep!" at the sight of this unusual forest denizen. It was a plant, nearly the full height of Kim herself, shaped vaguely like an upside-down bell. The top of the plant's head also seemed to be its mouth, and just beneath said mouth were a pair of beady eyes, regarding this human intruder with caution. Large green leaves appeared to be in the place of arms, and the vine attached could be described as somewhat of a tail, which swayed and squirmed ever-so-slightly in a fashion that was almost hypnotic.

Unfortunately for Kim, rational thought seemed to leave her as she witnessed the plant-like creature in full view. Otherwise she may have noticed and taken comfort in the fact that it did not make any move to attack her, and rather, appeared just as afraid of her as she was of it. Instead, she turned and ran, unwittingly scampering deeper into the forest, determined to find a way back home to Middleton, away from this crazy and unfamiliar environment.

_OK, weird plant hybrid monster is so a Dementor or DNAmy thing. So their lair has gotta be around here somewhere…_ She checked each direction quickly and concisely, trying to determine something resembling a path or road, leading out of the forest. Or at least leading to a building of some sort, villainous lair or not, hopefully with fully functional communicative devices.

Noticing the wood was becoming thicker, Kim slowed down to an even jog, not wanting to crash into any trees. A sudden hooting noise caused her to look up sharply as she all but halted on the spot to inspect the newest creature to draw her attention. It resembled an owl very closely, but at the same time, was not like any owl Kim had ever witnessed before, either in real life or featured on wildlife documentaries. It had large, circular red eyes, which seemed to stare down at her with vacant indifference. Oddly, according to Kim, it was also hopping back and forth from one leg to the other upon the branch where it was currently perched.

Tearing her gaze away from the owl-like creature, Kim resumed her search for an exit from this perplexing forest in yet another direction. Breaking into a steady jog once more, dodging trees, branches and foliage along the way, it wasn't long before the lost hero caught more movement from within her peripheral vision, and she slowed to investigate. Moments later a being emerged from nearby bushes, and Kim felt her heart rate quicken. It was a bug, most closely alike to a rhinoceros beetle, but it was the size of a small child. A gasp escaped from the redhead before she briskly continued on, eager to place some distance between herself and the giant insect. Said insect had itself dived back into the underbrush upon noticing the human, obviously not keen on making friends with the girl.

Kim had noticed this as she moved away, and it intrigued her. _Well, if these creatures were created by Dementor or Amy, wouldn't they be attacking me? Why are they scared of me too? Unless it's a trap to lead me into a false sense of security…_

Abruptly, Kim stopped dead. As her head had been half-turned backwards whilst she studied the retreating beetle colossus, Kim had failed to notice that she was on a collision course with a particularly thick tree. Her gaze snapped back at the last moment, but it wasn't only the impending crash that had halted the petite hero in her tracks. Upon the trunk of the tree, only inches from her face, clung a very, VERY large spider. Not tarantula big, but rather size-of-an-average-dog big. If her mind hadn't been frozen in terror, Kim may have noticed that in fact this 'spider' had only six legs, two of which were protruding upside-down from its vermillion and ebony striped back. Instead, a scream was elicited from her lips as she stumbled backward a few steps, before crashing ungraciously onto her rear end. For not even the great Kim Possible, genius, athlete and world hero, was immune to the latent arachnophobia that most females of the human species seemed to possess.

In response to the brief scream, the 'spider' scampered up the tree trunk, disappearing from sight amongst the safety of the tree's ample foliage.

Eyes fixed on the broad tree trunk where the 'spider' had jus been, Kim shuffled backwards, still planted on her backside, until her back met the solid thickness of another tree. Glancing upward in trepidation, Kim only relaxed once she noticed there seemed to be no inhabitants of the tree she was now resting against. Exhaling deeply, Kim brought her knees to her chest, and tried to process all she had just seen.

_Relax, Possible. It was just a spider, no need to freak. OK, it was a really, really BIG spider, like 'Rufus would make a great snack for it' big, but… at least it didn't attack you._

Kim sighed, curling further into herself. _So these things aren't attacking me, it just seems like this is their home, their habitat… they seem to be scared of me too. So, not a Dementor or DNAmy thing then…_

A breeze picked up, causing the contemplating Kim to shiver, as goose bumps began to appear upon her creamy pale skin. Adrenaline and physical activity had guarded her previously against the chill of the night time outdoor air, but now that Kim was still and gradually calming, she noticed how cold it actually was.

Another bluster of wind rushed through the surrounding trees, and as it contacted her exposed flesh, Kim felt herself shivering again. Still only dressed in her mission clothes, the purple t-shirt and black cargo pants combo was becoming increasingly inadequate in protecting Kim from the worsening weather. Soon, her teeth began to chatter, and Kim knew she'd have to act to stave off a chill, or worse, hypothermia.

_Seems like a storm is coming… Just my luck. I really need to find shelter, or maybe get a fire going… if the wind won't blow it out that is…_

Over the rising wind, a faint whimpering could be heard nearby, snapping Kim out of her mental planning. It seemed to be growing louder and more desperate the stronger the wind became, and Kim, full of compassion as well as curiosity, stood to investigate. Hoping the whining creature wasn't hurt, Kim clutched her arms around herself to offer some protection from the icy air, as she navigated through an array of trees and bushes, toward the source of the cries.

Before long, she discovered a cozy forest clearing, which was dimly aglow, as if a tiny fire burned somewhere within the nearby area. Kim edged carefully toward where the orange glow was brightest, which, incidentally, was also where the desperate whimpers were coming from.

Kim could easily determine a small, curled up figure atop a relatively flat rock just a few feet in front of her. The creature was trembling against the increasing chill, its eyes shut tightly, its sharp teeth gritted.

Bending down on one knee, the kind-hearted hero reached a hand out, wanting to comfort the little critter. Sensing the approach, the creature recoiled slightly, lifting its head to gaze at Kim with crisp blue eyes filled with fear and sadness. Now Kim saw the being more clearly, she discovered that it appeared to be some sort of lizard. Its skin was a distinct tomato-red hue and it appeared to be quite young. Most amazingly, as the creature recoiled further, Kim discovered that the source of the dull glow that alighted the immediate area was emanating from the creature itself; from the tip of its tail to be exact.

Blazing forth from the end of the little lizard's tail was a tiny fire, no bigger than Kim's fist. The owner of the tail also seemed to be clutching said tail possessively, protecting the fire that burned at its tip.

Kim was astonished, but her caring nature overcame her awe as she inched closer to the frightened lizard-creature. "Hey, what's wrong? Did you lose your Momma, huh?" The hero gently asked.

The critter gazed at her pointedly, as if trying to determine whether she was friend or foe. As a gentle, soft hand timidly caressed its head though, it soon became obvious that the human meant no harm, and the lizard whimpered once more, as if trying to express something.

"It's OK," Kim soothed, "It's OK, I won't hurt you." Despite all that had happened leading up to her meeting with this creature, Kim smiled warmly, deciding this little guy was rather cute.

Before she could stop herself, Kim picked up the small lizard with both hands, and it responded by clutching onto her like a needy child. The wind still assaulted her from all sides, in a swirling, frigid gale, and Kim knew the weather would be less intense amongst the trees than out in the open, so she headed back toward the thicket nearby.

As the fire-lizard desperately grasped her chest, Kim noticed how incredibly warm it was, like a little living hot water bottle. "Hey, how about you keep me warm, and I protect you from the wind, OK? Sound like a plan?"

The creature nodded once, seeming to understand, and Kim let out a small giggle at the adorableness of the action. Finding a well-protected tree to rest against, the redhead then lowered herself to the ground slowly, still carefully cradling the lizard.

"This place is strange to me, so we'll have to wait for daylight to find proper shelter, OK?"

The creature murmured in agreement, before relaxing somewhat, curling up to hopefully fall into slumber. Kim's warmth and protective arms had halted the lizard's tremors, and soon enough, it was sound asleep.

Kim gazed down at the little creature in her arms with a mixture of awe and caring. She was considerably warmer than before thanks to the critter's fiery tail, which it kept curled up underneath itself, so Kim's clothes were not in danger of catching fire. Comfortable enough now despite the howling wind, the young woman hunched over her new friend protectively, falling asleep herself before too long.

It was a light sleep, as the miserable weather and dilemmas of the evening prior were resting upon the fringes of the heroine's slumbering mind. But at one point, when Kim did wake up properly, she was surprised and encouraged to discover that not only had the wind dropped, but the dawn was nearly breaking. The sky was relatively clear, as the dull greyish-blue hues of early morning stretched on forever, covering all in a peaceful blanket of the calm that existed between night and day.

Kim knew she could afford a little more sleep, and considering that the fire-lizard was still slumbering contentedly in her lap, she decided to do just that; to return to sleep herself. Seconds before her eyes shut once more however, Kim heard an unusual bird-like cry from high above. She glanced up drowsily, her mind foggy from lack of sleep. She managed to breathe out a startled "Wow" at what she witnessed, though.

Up amongst the thin, white clouds of this early morning soared a bird unlike any Kim had ever seen. It seemed to possess a majesty and magnificence that the hazy-minded redhead believed belonged only to creatures of mythology.

The phoenix-like vision, its glittering tail feathers leaving behind a rainbow trail across the pre-dawn sky, was the last thing Kim Possible saw before her heavy eyelids shut once more, and she returned to slumber.

* * *

Next chapter: Strange creatures aren't all that abounds in this mysterious world as Kim spies a familiar face. 


	3. The Champion of All Surprises

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* * *

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I apologise to those who are not fond of OC's, as I introduce one in this chapter. But hey, it takes all kinds to fill the Pokemon world... Gym Leaders and Rangers and Breeders, oh my! ... Or something like that. And I probably won't be able to update as quickly as I have been as I return to studies tomorrow (joy) and have exams in a month (double joy). But I'll try. Thanks again to all who have read, reviewed, placed on alert, etc.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

"**The Champion of All Surprises"**

The Grand Champion of the Latro region Pokemon League inspected herself in the mirror, and was greeted by the look of disdain upon her own face. Not disdain at her own reflection, as she was confident that she was a fine looking specimen of human female, but rather at the reason she was up so early, already fully dressed, and critiquing her chosen attire in the first place.

_Damn paparazzi! Won't even let me sleep in…_She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, all too aware that the rest of her family were either still blissfully asleep or lazily milling around in their pyjamas.

_Guess it's the price I pay for being the best. _A satisfied smile grew upon the Grand Champion's face as she remembered the fact that she was, indeed, the greatest trainer in the region. Better than her family, who were all elite trainers themselves. Oh, she wouldn't swap her status as the best for anything, despite her dislike for the publicity aspect that was unfortunately tied to the daily life of one that held such a prestigious title.

_But it's not just a title, being __the Grand Champion is a full time job… _She repeated the words her own mother bombarded her with on a regular basis in her own mind, adding a childish mocking tone that her mother certainly did _not_ use. _Blah, blah, blah…_

Although satisfied with the image the mirror projected, the Grand Champion procrastinated still, not eager to attend the magazine interview that had been arranged this morning. She was dressed sharply but retained an air of casualness in her black dress pants, figure-hugging emerald green shirt, and navy leather jacket. Her cascading hair flowed freely, despite her mother's wishes that she tie it up for such occasions regarding the press, but the Grand Champion seldom wore her hair up, and seldom listened to her mother for that matter.

Glancing at the clock, the Grand Champion let out a sigh of defeat as she noticed how very quickly it was approaching nine in the morning. _Oh well, time to get this over with. They just better not ask me any damn questions about my love life this time…_

* * *

Somehow, Kim had managed to change positions during her light sleep so that she was now curled up on her side, resting upon the forest floor. As the sunlight's warmth greeted her face, Kim found her leaf green eyes slowly blinking open, and she nearly gasped in surprise when she immediately noticed a pair of large blue eyes staring back at her. 

The waking hero scrambled to an upright position, her back once again supported by the thick tree trunk, as memories of the evening previous flooded to her mind.

She quickly reconciled the fact that the curious eyes that had been gazing at her upon her waking belonged to the little lizard-creature she had befriended, who was now letting out an impressive yawn.

"How long have you been waiting for me to wake up, huh?" Kim asked as she drowsily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. The fire lizard responded to her voice by trotting over on its hind legs, a toothy grin plastered on its face. The redhead smiled back. "You're a cute little thing… Hmmm, never thought I'd say that about a lizard."

Her eyes focused now, Kim inspected her surroundings in the revealing light of day. The forest was magnificent, seeming to be untouched by human interference. Trees towered over, reaching far into the sky, their leaves broad, and vibrant shades of green. Flowers bloomed in abundance, some familiar to Kim, others completely foreign, their mixed aromas wafting on the slight morning breeze. Life filled these woods, even if Kim could not see, she could hear the chirps, calls, and growls of an array of fauna that this forest was home to.

She could also hear, to her sudden alarm, an approaching rustling. Encountering creatures the night before that Kim could never have fathomed, she was anxious about what to expect. Some nearby shrubbery shook, and the fire lizard braced itself by hiding behind the human girl. Expecting another giant bug or another human-sized sentient plant being, Kim could only laugh in relief when the newcomer was revealed.

Darting out of the bushes nearby was a creature that appeared to be feline, quite small, and undeniably cute. It wore a wide, playful grin, its pink and yellow fur shimmering in the sunlight.

It halted when it spotted Kim, and seemed to position itself as if pointing toward her, much like the hunting hounds did in the cartoons Kim had watched during her childhood.

About to address the adorable cat, Kim was startled to hear another voice speak before hers.

"Skitz! What have I told you about running off like that?!"

It appeared to be coming from the same direction the cat creature had entered from, and as a louder rustling than before could be heard, it indicated that perhaps the newest arrival was a human…

Kim felt her heart swell with hope. Since arriving in this unknown locale, the hero had only found strange beasts for company. Standing up and stretching to her full height before straightening out her clothes, Kim beamed when it was in fact a human that stumbled out of the bushes.

"OK Skitz, what's the big deal?" She was looking down, speaking to the pink and yellow cat in a slightly annoyed tone. Eventually her gaze lifted and she managed a confused "Oh… huh?"

Kim waved cheerily, unable to hide her enthusiasm for human company. "Hi!"

The young woman that Kim was greeting appeared only several years older than Kim herself, in her early-to-mid twenties. She was a redhead too, her tresses a shade darker than Kim's, closer to a brownish-auburn. Said hair was tied in a low ponytail, and bangs hung down both sides of her face, her fringe parted in the middle. She was wearing what Kim could only determine as some sort of uniform; red jacket, red shorts and a matching red cap, all emblazoned with a stylised yellow 'R'.

"I'm Kim Possible," the relieved hero continued, "And I am, well, kinda lost. Can you tell me if Middleton is near here?"

"Uh…" The young woman blinked once, her murky blue eyes seeming to process the information just delivered to her. She then straightened her posture before finally managing a friendly smile. "I'm Ranger Riff Carter, and if you need a lift I'd be happy to… wait, where did you want to go?"

"Middleton," Kim repeated, growing a little concerned at the look of confusion that shot through Ranger Riff's features.

"Middle… _ton_? Are you sure you don't mean Middle_town_?"

"Um, no," Kim frowned. "Not 'town'. There's no 'w'."

"Hmmm…" Riff seemed to ponder this, placing a hand to her chin. "That's weird. The thing is, Middletown's not too far from here, about twenty miles west."

Kim's eyes widened in surprise. _But… that's about the distance it would be from the lair where I met Drakken and Shego last night… Odd…_

"Well, I'd be happy to give you a lift there anyway, extra 'w' or not," Riff's voice broke through Kim's thoughts, and the younger redhead noticed the Ranger was smiling again. She was well spoken, with no discernible accent, and there was a warm kindness in her eyes that made Kim feel at ease.

Not really having any other option, Kim decided to take Riff up on her offer. "OK, if it's no big." _Besides, once I'm there I should be able to contact someone…_

Riff glanced down, unable to stifle a chuckle. "Ummm, I take it that Charmander is coming with you?"

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Y'know, the thing clutching onto your leg?" The Ranger laughed again, pointing to the creature behind Kim for added clarification.

Perplexed, Kim looked down at the little fire lizard. "Oh, is that what it's called? A Charmander?"

Riff nodded once, still grinning, wondering who this clueless girl was. The Ranger's eyes then widened considerably, as her gaze became fixed on something over Kim's shoulder. As the teen hero noticed the alarming change of expression upon the older female's face, she also became aware of a growing buzzing sound…

Ranger Riff only managed to yell "ACK!" before spinning around and sprinting away in the direction from where she had came, Skitz following close behind.

Kim knew that whatever was behind her that had caused the Ranger to flip out wasn't going to be friendly or cuddly. Still, she could not resist the urge to turn around and investigate the situation herself.

The redhead became vaguely aware of the sensation of the Charmander's claws digging further into her leg as it became frightened of the incoming invasion that Kim was now staring at.

Flying towards the pair was a swarm of bees. Not just ordinary bees, but humungous bees with what appeared to be drills at the ends of their forelegs.

"Oh great. More giant bugs."

With that, Kim plucked the Charmander off of the ground and ran, as fast as she could, in the same direction the Ranger had exited. Assuming the Ranger knew her way out of the forest, Kim's spirit lifted when she caught sight of the retreating older woman, who was comically flailing her arms and yelling something about hating bugs.

Riff, Kim idly noticed as she sprinted, was a little taller than herself and quite thin too, and not a bad athlete, either. Still, Kim managed to close the distance between them with relative ease, and caught up just in time to see Riff hop into a Jeep, parked just beyond the forest boundary. A moment later the younger redhead leapt into the passenger seat, still clutching the Charmander, and Riff did not even wait for her companion to buckle her seatbelt before she floored the acceleration pedal, leaving the trailing swarm of super bees to compete with a cloud of dust.

Once the ominous buzzing could no longer be heard, Kim let out a sigh of relief. "Wow, that was… sudden."

"Heh, sorry about that," Riff shrugged sheepishly, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'm just… a _tad _scared of bugs."

"Just a tad?" Kim smirked at the understatement.

"Well, Beedrills can be very territorial, so it's to be expected, I guess." Riff slumped her shoulders a little before then muttering mostly to herself: "Geez, what kind of Pokemon Ranger am I, afraid of bugs? _So_ lame…"

"Hey, I saw some super huge bugs last night, too," Kim revealed, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "Normally I'm not too bothered by bugs, but there was this freakishly huge spider…"

"Red and black, with yellow legs?" Riff cut her passenger off, sounding curious yet terrified at the same time.

"Yeah, how did you…"

"Ick," the driver visibly shuddered, tensing her shoulders. "Ariados. My most hated of all hateful bug Pokemon. This one time when I was on night-time patrol, I saw one, and freaked out majorly, running away without looking where I was going… and ended up having a dip in a nearby river."

Kim let escape a small chuckle at the imagery Riff's anecdote created in her mind. She then grew serious, having a mind full of questions, questions that needed answers. "Bug… Pokemon? What's a Pokemon?" Glancing around the surroundings that whizzed by she then added: "And where are we, for that matter?"

"Huh? 'What's a Pokemon?' Are you for real?" Riff glanced sideways at her passenger, unable to believe her ears. "Well they're… hmmm. You know, I've never had to explain it before." The Ranger appeared to think for a few moments, before delivering her answer. "Well, your little friend there is a Pokemon. Those giant bugs you saw are Pokemon. And my friend Skitz is one too."

Skitz, content in sitting in the back seat silently up until this point, mewed slightly upon hearing his name.

Kim listened intently as Riff continued, "They're creatures that inhabit the world with us… they're everywhere, which is why I'm surprised you asked."

The younger redhead tried to sound sincere when she explained: "I'm, uh… not from around here. By a long shot."

Riff nodded once, making it seem that explanation was sufficient for her. "Well, some people keep them solely as pets, others as partners, either in battle or on the job… like Skitz, he's my friend but helps me on duty too." The Ranger then smiled warmly, the fondness for her feline-esque companion obvious.

"O… Kay…" Kim managed, not entirely sure she understood.

"Oh, and in response to your second question, we're in the Latro region. Tri-Town area, in the outskirts of Middletown to be precise. I'm stationed as a Ranger here sometimes."

"Latro… region?" Kim echoed, even more puzzled than before. "But this is still North America, right?"

At this question, Riff giggled heartily. "Of course, where did you think we were, Antarctica?"

Kim couldn't help but flush with embarrassment. "Heh, sorry. Like I said, I was lost in the forest there… and I… I'm a little confused. It's… It's kinda hard to explain."

"No worries, but maybe you should think about seeing a doctor when we arrive in town, hmmm?" Riff suggested, raising a bemused ginger eyebrow.

Still flummoxed, Kim managed to reply with an airy: "So not the drama."

She glanced down, noticed that the Charmander was gazing back up at her, and realised that she had been holding onto it during the entire conversation.

"So… it's OK to just take the… Charmander out of the forest like this?"

Riff spared another brief glance sideways, noting how attached the Charmander already seemed to Kim. "Well if he wants to go with you… I don't see why not." The Ranger then smiled absent-mindedly, becoming lost in thought as she recalled several times in the past when a wild Pokemon had befriended her.

Kim gazed fondly at the little fire lizard sitting upon her lap. "So, you're a boy, huh?" She murmured, mostly to herself. "Hmmm, Charmander… You know, I think I'll call you… Charlie."

* * *

Briskly walking down the main street of Middletown, the Grand Champion kept her head lowered. She wished to remain unnoticed, as difficult a task as that was for her to achieve, for several reasons… 

The strip was bustling with early morning activity, with children on their way to school, business vendors opening their stores. On her way to a magazine publication establishment, the Grand Champion knew having eager fans accost you in the street was inevitable in her position, but she still tried to delay being recognised for as along as possible.

Which was never really long enough, in her opinion. A block away from her intended destination, the Grand Champion of the Latro Pokemon League winced upon hearing excited school children call out her name, as they came rushing over.

After a flurry of footsteps, she was effectively surrounded, and instantly the elementary school-aged children bombarded the celebrity with questions.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Will you give some trainer advice?"

"Where's Sal? Is he with you?"

The Grand Champion threw up her hands, forcing a smile. "Hey, hey, woah there with the questions, niblets." A playful smirk grew as she then folded her arms thoughtfully across her chest. "Hmmm, shouldn't you guys be on your way to school?"

Several children murmured "Yes, ma'am," in unison before the crowd reluctantly departed.

_Kids, oy. But __it's not so bad I suppose. Some of them are kinda cute I guess… Well I'd still rather deal with them then my pimply teenage male fans. Eew._

Across the street, a pair of disbelieving eyes stared at the scene that had just unfolded. Kim was frozen on the spot, unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if perhaps this was all some ridiculous dream.

Riff had parked her Jeep just outside a coffee house, giving Kim directions to a nearby information centre before entering the shop for an early hot frothy mocha fix. And the grateful hero was about to begin her trek down the main street of Middletown, which was so eerily similar to the Central Business District of Middleton yet so disarmingly different, when the ambushing school kids had caught her attention.

Or rather, the young woman amidst the fawning children had caught Kim's attention.

_Shego…?_

Without hesitation, Kim raced across the road, deftly avoiding traffic, hoping to catch up with the older woman before she disappeared into the building she seemed to be heading towards.

Charlie followed his newfound master loyally, albeit navigating the morning traffic in a more patient and cautious manner.

_Shego? Out in public, dressed normally… getting mobbed by adoring children?_ The young hero's mind raced as she closed the distance between herself and the raven-haired woman, who had her back to Kim, oblivious that she was being followed. _What is the SITCH?!_

"Shego!" Kim finally vocalised the name, now that she was in near enough proximity to do so. This caused the older woman to halt and turn around, an expression of distracted annoyance evident upon her attractive face.

"What? Oh, I suppose you want an autograph, hmmm?"

Kim was certain if her jaw could have reached the concrete pavement at that point, it would have. Finally, the redhead managed to stammer: "Uh, no… I, ummm, I…"

Intrigued, Shego took a casual step closer. Hey, the newcomer was pretty cute, after all. "No? What, just stopping to admire the view then?" The pale woman teased.

That smirk. That trademark, arrogant smirk that Kim had seen countless times before… At that moment, Kim's thoughts became clouded as the rational part of the confused hero's mind snapped. Shego had disappointed her by returning to the criminal life… she wanted, hoped, that the thief and mercenary would turn her life around. Perhaps, and it was a considerable long shot, that under the right circumstances, Shego may have even become a hero again. And she and Kim… well, maybe they could have eventually been… friends. But no. Drakken decided to resume his take-over-the-world schemes, dragging Shego down with him. Sure, she had seemed reluctant last night, just wanting to enjoy the opportunity of fighting Kim… but dammit, why couldn't she just have refused to work for Drakken again? Show some initiative, get her life in order? Anger welled up within Kim now, as she blamed the green-hued woman in front of her for her current predicaments, for the empty feeling of dejection gnawing at her gut, and for her disorientating misplacement…

Sure, the rational part of Kim's mind knew that Drakken was to blame for the latter problem… he had fired her with that ray-gun, not Shego. And the henchwoman never seemed to even be interested in what the blue buffoon's plans were, so she wasn't to know what would have happened when Kim had been shot. But the hero wasn't listening to her rational side now, and before the logical portion of her brain could react, her body lashed out and kicked the unsuspecting Shego squarely in the abdomen.

The older woman landed on her backside with a solid thud, before glaring up at Kim with wild eyes. "Geez! What the hell was that for?!"

But the enraged redhead was still stuck on autopilot, and before Shego had a chance to react, Kim swooped down to violently haul her up by the collar of her navy blue leather jacket.

"Where is Drakken? What did he do to me? WHAT is going on?!" The younger woman demanded, her eyes frantic.

Shego was incredulous. "What? Drakken? You mean Doctor Drakken, Gemini's lackey? What's he got to do with this? What the hell are you ranting about?"

Slowly, Kim's bright green eyes widened, her breathing slowed. Something was way off here. She let go of Shego's collar and took a careful step backwards, studying the older woman. Shego was wearing dress pants, a green top and a leather jacket. Not her signature green and black cat-suit. Sure, she still appeared the same otherwise, her skim tone still the exotic tone of milky pale green. But there was something in her forest green eyes, something alarming that caused Kim's heart to pound in her chest. That something being lack of recognition.

Shego didn't know who Kim was.

_Oh… dear… god. No, no no no! _Kim mentally panicked, her own eyes glazing over._ That was no teleportation ray… Drakken he… the PDVI… then this is… this world… It can't be! No…_

She placed her hands upon her head and groaned. _He sent me to another dimension…_

Shego's arms were folded as she glared at the troubled redhead. She was about to speak, mostly likely to deride the younger female, when a voice familiar to both women spoke up, its tone disbelief.

"Uh, Kim? Why did you just attack my best friend?"

Kim snapped out of her daze to acknowledge the speaker, Ranger Riff Carter. She had witnessed Kim kicking Shego just as she stepped out of the coffee shop, steaming mocha in hand. Now, she stood just offside to Kim, glancing back and forth between the other two women, a moustache of chocolate froth just barely noticeable upon her top lip.

"Best… friend?" Kim repeated, staring vacantly at the older redhead who had rescued her from the forest.

Shego managed to smirk again, her anger at Kim seeming to dissipate. "Riff, what have I told you about picking up strange girls whilst on patrol?"

Riff moved closer to the woman she had proclaimed to be her best friend, and said in a stage whisper: "Go easy on her… I think she needs a doctor."

At last, Kim managed to snap to attention, vehemently stating: "I am NOT crazy!"

Shego chuckled at the denial, before turning her attention to Riff and pulling the Ranger's cap over her eyes. "And how many times do I have to tell you that redheads shouldn't wear red?"

Riff yanked the cap back up, a scowl that was not all too serious in nature now upon her face. "And how many times have I told you that this is my damn uniform?"

Kim watched the playful exchange, curious, puzzled, and although she would never admit it out loud to a single soul, a mite jealous. She folded her arms across her chest, mimicking Shego's stance, feeling decidedly ignored.

"Don't suppose I could officially bestow you as Grand Champion for the day, so you could attend this stupid interview for me?" Shego cocked her head toward the nearby magazine publishing business, her voice filled with mock disdain.

"OK, sure," Riff smirked. "And I'll tell them about the time when we were still in high school and got wasted on a bottle of absinthe, became convinced there were dancing mushrooms in your living room, before going down the street where you were apparently propositioned by a lamppost…"

Shego narrowed her eyes. "OK. Fine. Don't you have a job to get back to, _Ranger Carter?_"

"Indeed I do." Riff then lifted up her Styrofoam mocha cup in a pseudo-toast. "Later."

Riff proceeded to walk off, intending to head toward her Jeep still parked across the road, but paused as she passed by Kim to say: "Take care, Kim. I hope you, uh, feel better soon."

Kim was too speechless to respond. She watched the departing fellow redhead for a moment, before turning her attention back to Shego, who was glaring pointedly at her.

"So, uh, about before…" Kim averted her gaze, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I'm listening."

"Well, I… I guess I kinda… mistook you for someone else?" It was a lame excuse, but it was all Kim could think of at that particular moment.

"Uh huh," Shego replied, unconvinced. "Despite the fact you clearly called out my name. Oh, and I'm _so_ hard to confuse with other people thanks to this lovely skin tone of mine."

Kim could only chuckle nervously in response.

"Whatever," the older woman shrugged. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get going. If Mommy finds out I was late for an interview, there'll be hell to pay."

Kim blinked once in confusion, before managing to continue her apology. "Shego, look… I really am sorry…" _Old habits die hard, indeed…_

A lazy smile formed on the older woman's darkly painted lips. The befuddled girl just seemed so sincere… "Eh, it's OK. I've had worse things happen to me." She then glanced down, noticing the creature hiding behind the endearing redhead's legs. "Cute Charmander, by the way."

"Huh?" Kim looked down and slightly behind herself, her eyes finding Charlie. "Oh, uh… thanks." But by the time Kim returned her gaze forward, Shego was already departing.

Before the raven-haired beauty entered the building of her destination however, she cast Kim a final glance and said: "See ya, Pumpkin. Hope you find your sanity soon."

Kim stood staring for an indeterminate amount of time at the door that Shego had just passed through, into the magazine publishing establishment and out of sight. _Well that was… awkweird_. Letting out a sigh, the redheaded hero then pondered her next course of action. _OK, stuck in a strange world, need to find a way home… home…_

And just like that, an idea struck her.

_Home…_

* * *

Next chapter: Kim seeks out her family, and... OMG what is wrong with Rufus?! 


	4. And the Mole Rat Will Be

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Whew! Longest chapter so far. Thanks again to all who have reviewed, placed on alert, etc... I hope to update this weekly, but I won't make any promises. ;)

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**CHAPTER 4**

"**And the Mole Rat Will Be… No Longer a Naked Mole Rat"**

It was mid-morning by the time Kim had finished her trek, the passage of time going relatively unnoticed by the hero as her mind kept replaying the unsettling encounter with Shego earlier.

The sun was bright and warm, the clouds few and far between above her in the ultramarine sky. Occasionally Kim had witnessed a bird or creature flurry past once she had entered the residential area of Middletown, and although strange to her, she was becoming accustomed to glimpsing the odd animals.

Now, she stood outside a particular house in a particular street, a nervous knot forming in her stomach. She had found the Information Centre Riff had directed her to, and amazingly, discovered that many of the street names were the same as in her native Middleton. Including the name of the street in which her family resided…

Kim took a deep breath, studying the building that loomed before her. It was almost identical to her own house, having two storeys and architecture plentiful in sharp angles. All the same, it somehow seemed different too, or perhaps the atmosphere _felt_ different.

Nevertheless, if her parents—or rather, this alternate reality version of them—dwelled inside, they would help her, surely. Right?

"Well, here goes nothing Charlie," the anxious hero said to her new companion.

Charlie only responded with a curious "Char?" as Kim walked up the pathway to the front door and knocked forcefully.

Ann Possible was enjoying a strong cup of morning tea when she heard an abrupt knocking at the front door. Her stomach jumped, as the troubling thought of police being the mid-morning visitors briefly crossed her mind. Her Kimmie hadn't come home last night; the adventurous girl had ventured into the forest on the outskirts of town in the hope of spying some nocturnal Pokemon. Ann knew her daughter was resourceful, but still couldn't help but worry. It was a mother's prerogative, after all.

A faintly pink-furred feline or perhaps vulpine creature, Ann's beloved pet and companion who had been curled up asleep under the kitchen table near her master's legs, pricked up its ears at the sound of a fist pounding on wood.

As Ann rushed to the front door, her pet followed, its dainty nose sniffing the air. It immediately scrunched its brow in confusion. The scent it picked up was that of her master's daughter, Kimmie, but something about it was different. And there was another scent too, a completely new one, one that unnerved the feline-fox animal a little.

Ann opened the door, somewhat reluctantly at first in case a bearer of bad news awaited on the opposite side, and was both relieved and perplexed when she realised who was standing there.

Her daughter, Kimberly.

"Kimmie!" Ann immediately exclaimed, throwing her arms around her eldest child. "Where have you been? Why didn't you call? You know the forest can be dangerous at night…"

"Uh…" Kim managed to stammer, overjoyed that this did seem to be her house, but lacking a little oxygen as her mother embraced her tightly.

Thankfully, Ann soon pulled back, before asking Kim one more question, in a voice that was almost laughing: "And why on earth did you knock on your own front door to come in?"

Kim blanched. She didn't realise, until her Mom had expressed it, how bizarre that would appear.

"Um, Mom, I'm glad you're here, and… I…"

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Ann asked in a tender voice, locking her arm with Kim's and leading them into the living room.

Charlie carefully followed, eyeing the fellow Pokemon in the vicinity with suspicion, just as Ann's pet did of the newcomer.

Kim was momentarily in awe of how similar the living room was to her own, complete with large screen plasma TV. She then sat on the couch lightly, holding her mother's gaze as the blue-eyed woman also sat down.

"Mom… I don't want to alarm you, but… something… something happened last night." The hero twiddled her thumbs nervously, unsure how to broach the subject that she was in fact an inter-dimensional travelling version of Ann's daughter.

"Mmm hmm. Go on, Kimmie," her mother gently encouraged, before noticing movement from the corner of her eye. "Espeon!" Ann suddenly called out to her pet, "Let the little fellow come inside! He appears to be Kimmie's friend."

Kim turned her gaze back to the living room's entrance, from where Charlie was slowly approaching, his eyes locked with the larger Pokemon that was scrutinising him.

"Huh? Oh, Charlie… yeah, he's a bit timid," Kim explained, eyeing the creature known as Espeon for the first time. It was either a fox or a cat, Kim decided, with marshmallow pink fur, a slender body, and a tail that split into two at the end. She believed it to be cute, but not quite as cute as Ranger Riff's Skitz, which was also a feline-esque Pokemon with pink fur.

"So you were saying, Kimmie?" Ann inquired, distracting Kim from her inspection of Espeon. Her blue eyes then widened, as she noticed something peculiar about her daughter. "Kim, those aren't the clothes you left in last night." It was a voice tinged with disapproval, as if Ann were insinuating that her daughter had engaged in unscrupulous activities the night before.

Kim caught on quickly to what her mother seemed to be thinking. "Wha…? No, Mom! It's not like _that_! I…" she flushed, lowering her gaze. "I… I don't suppose Dad is home? Or the Tweebs?"

"No honey," Ann's voice was warm again, now that Kim had insisted there was nothing suspicious regarding her clothing change. She knew her daughter was a terrible liar, and therefore, easily believed the younger redhead. "Your father is at work and the boys are at school. But you should know that."

_OK, still have the Tweebs. Never thought I'd actually be so happy about that…_Kim returned her green eyes to her mother's blue ones. "Mom, I… OK this is going to sound weird, but I'm… I'm not your daughter."

Ann's brow creased considerably. The older redhead didn't know whether her daughter's eccentric sense of humour was at play, or Kim had received a blow to the head at some point last night… so she decided to keep an open mind. "That's strange, because the resemblance is uncanny."

"No, I mean, I am your daughter, but I'm not, it's just… GAH!" Kim threw up her hands in frustration. "This is so ferociously hard to explain!"

Sensing her daughter was serious, and rather stressed also, Ann gently took Kim's hands. "Go on, sweetie. Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Kim let out an exasperated sigh. _Damn Drakken! I'm so going to kick his butt when I get back… _Charlie had managed to climb onto Kim's lap by this time, having successfully manoeuvred past the glaring Espeon. He looked up at his saviour and now master as she attempted to explain her predicament to her mother. "OK, well… this probably isn't gonna make sense, but I'll try…"

* * *

"So what you're telling me is that the Kim upstairs is not our Kimmie-cub but an inter-dimensional travelling Kim Possible from another reality?" 

Ann nodded grimly. "Yes. I wish I knew where our Kimmie was…"

James Possible, sitting at his family's kitchen table with a dumbfounded expression upon his face, didn't know what to think or say. The scientist in him was profoundly curious by the notion of inter-dimensional travel, but the father within was terrified for the fate of his only daughter.

"Kimmie… I mean, the Kimmie upstairs… tells me that if our Kim was sent to her reality in her place, as she was sent here, then we shouldn't worry. She has a loving, supportive group of family and friends who will take care of her and protect her." Ann tried to smile once she finished speaking, but it was a weak smile.

"Hmmm." Her husband appeared to ponder the explanation quite seriously. "Well, as long as it is not an alternate dimension filled with boys."

At this, Ann managed a faint laugh. "No, I don't think so, honey. From what Kim told me, it's a world quite similar to ours. Except…" She reached down to absent-mindedly stroke Espeon's head, the loyal companion sitting near her master's legs as often she did, "except there are no Pokemon there. Instead they have different creatures and… well Kim said there were countless species of insect alone, and most of them were tiny…"

James' eyes had grown wide in shock. "A… a world without Pokemon? But that's… that's unthinkable!" Sentimentality flashed across his features, as he felt the sudden need to shower affection upon his own pet. "Umbreon! Come here, boy!"

Hearing his master call out, a black quadruped trotted into the kitchen from the lounge room where he had been resting. It, like Espeon, had vulpine features, but canine characteristics also. Its pupils were as pitch as night, surrounded by deep crimson irises, and several bright yellow rings upon its body contrasted with the surrounding inky fur. Umbreon settled next to James' legs, his human master beginning to zealously pat the Pokemon's head instantly.

Ann smiled fondly at the pair. "I know. But it's what Kimmie told me." With a sigh, she then cast her vivid blue eyes downward. "What… what do you think we should do?"

"Well…" James let out his own sigh, "I think the best thing we can do for this other Kim… and our own Kimmie-cub… is to try and find a way to send her home." He cast his gaze down toward Umbreon before continuing: "My theory is, if we help the other Kim find a way back to her own reality, our Kim should return to us."

"Really?" Ann's eyes brightened. "But… would that really work? I mean, how… how is it even possible?"

Prompted by the keyword, James broke into a silly grin. "Hey, anything is possible for a Possible!" Smiling her own silly smile, Ann shook her head playfully at her husband's catchphrase. "Let me call some colleagues, both at the Space Centre and at the lab. With all those genius IQ's bouncing around the place, I'm sure we can come up with something."

Ann nodded once, before remembering a relevant piece of information Kim had shared with her during their talk earlier. "Kimmie mentioned something about a… I hope I get this right… a 'Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer'. Maybe that will…"

Before the redheaded doctor could elaborate further, the back door, connected to the Possible kitchen, was opened, and in walked a casual, cheerful-looking Ron Stoppable. His ever-present companion Rufus sat upon his shoulder, as often the small Pokemon did.

"Oh, hey Drs.' Mr. and Mrs. P. You said you wanted me to come over so you could tell me something about Kim?"

Ann and James Possible exchanged nervous glances, before James grimaced, and turned toward the blonde teen.

"Ronald… I think you should sit down for this."

* * *

It was now early evening, and Kim sat at the computer, upstairs in her attic bedroom, her curious mind searching for answers. Well, technically it wasn't _her_ bedroom, but she was welcome to make it as her own for the time being. Searching the World Wide Web for information on this world and the strange creatures known as Pokemon that inhabit it, the young redheaded woman kept replaying in her mind the conversation she had had with her mother earlier. 

_Well, not __**my**__ mother, but… grr! I know what I mean_. She sighed, clicking a page that dealt mostly with information on Charmanders. Charlie was on the bed nearby, half dozing, half watching his master.

Kim had been relieved and overjoyed to discover that so much was similar about this universe; her mother was still a brain surgeon, and had given Kim a thorough once-over to make sure the girl was not suffering from any brain injury and indeed had travelled from another dimension as she had explained. Her father was still a rocket scientist… well, part time he was a rocket scientist, at least, and part time he worked as a Pokemon Professor… _Whatever that entails_. Ron was still her Best Friend Since Pre-K, and she was still friends with Wade and Monique too. However, she was not friends with Wade for the same reasons as within her own universe, which was indicative of one major difference between this world and the one Kim called home.

In this reality, Kim Possible was not a hero.

She was an honour student, member of countless school committees—at least she had been before she had graduated—and also was formerly a cheerleader. But not a globe-trotting, super-villain-beating saviour of the world.

Apparently the Kim Possible of this world wanted to become a famous and magnificent Pokemon trainer, aiming to one day become the Grand Champion of the region's Pokemon League, before taking on the world. She was due to start her own Pokemon journey soon, with Ron, now that high school was over. She did wish for a college education too, but there was always time for that after she became the Grand Champion.

The information divulged by Ann about her daughter had led the dimensional-traveller Kim to discover another shocking fact about this world… or about the other Kim, rather. A fact that manifested itself upon her bedroom wall in the form of a life-size poster, one that Kim was currently trying to avoid catching sight of out of the corner of her eye.

Shego was her idol.

The Kim Possible of this reality obviously never felt the need to enter the World Saving business due to the heroic exploits of Team Go, led by none other than Shego herself. Upon learning this revelation, Kim couldn't help but smirk to herself whilst trying to imagine the expression on Hego's face when Shego was announced leader, whenever that had been. Team Go still had the superpowers they possessed in Kim's own reality, but what made them a more formidable team, apart from Shego being in charge, was their well-trained Pokemon team mates.

Kim had researched Team Go extensively since learning during her conversation with Ann that the Kim Possible of this world was not a hero, and why it seemed she didn't need to be. The baffled hero Kim was astounded by the number of fan sites dedicated to Shego alone, how idolised she was. _Well, if she's a hero and the other me looks up to her, guess I'm still a hero on the inside huh?_ Kim smiled to herself before being assaulted by the recent memory of her own meeting with this reality's Shego. _Oh man, I really shouldn't have kicked her in the stomach._

Running a hand through her long auburn hair, Kim then clicked to a different site, one that had general information about all known species of Pokemon. Perusing the statistics of the Pokemon that piqued her interest, she recognised Ranger Riff's Skitz as a Skitty, a kitten Pokemon, her other-worldly Mom's Espeon, and a few of the beasts she had encountered in the forest, namely the large plant Pokemon Victreebel, and the humongous bug Pokemon Heracross.

Kim had also learnt, through her talk with her mother and from information available through cyberspace, that Sheldon Director, also known as Gemini, was the main threat to the peace of this world, and Team Go's arch nemesis. Apparently Gemini suffered from a severe god complex, even more so than the Gemini Kim knew, and Dr. Drakken was but one of his cohorts. Kim had tried to imagine a competent Drakken upon hearing this, but failed, bursting into a fit of giggles instead.

But hearing about Gemini, Drakken and others only made Kim want to call Wade to check up on the villains, to see if there was a mission to undertake. The hero was disappointed that the Kim Possible of this universe did not save the world, and it was hard to suppress the urge to want to take the fight to the bad guys like she did in her own reality. But Wade, while still a genius, was mainly Kim's source on all things Pokemon. If ever she had a question she would have consulted him, and his expertise would have definitely come in handy when the Kim of this world finally began her Pokemon journey.

It seemed that this reality's Kim was very serious about becoming the greatest trainer in the land, having the support of a boy genius like Wade to aid her. With a sigh, Kim shut the computer down, before walking over to the bed and heavily flopping down upon it.

With a happy "Char!" Charlie quickly climbed upon her lap, not even allowing his master a chance to become comfortable. Kim glanced down at the Charmander, unable to stifle a laugh.

"You're an affectionate little guy, huh?" Kim murmured, patting the lizard's head. She then lifted her gaze slowly, thoughtfully inspecting her other self's room. There were no boy band posters and much less pink, but somehow, it still felt like the room belonged to a Kim Possible. There were pictures of what Kim assumed were her doppelganger's favourite Pokemon dotted along the walls, with informative text boxes next to or beneath them. There were also photos of her other self with Ron, Monique; some with Pokemon, some without. And then there was the centrepiece, that damn unavoidable life-size poster of Shego.

With a scowl borne of reluctance, Kim decided to finally study the poster properly.

Instantly, her scowl softened, even though Kim was not fully aware of it. The Shego on this poster was wearing such a genuine smile—not a smirk, or a devious grin—just a relaxed, happy smile. True, she could have just been posing for the camera, but the sparkle in Shego's eyes told a different story. Perhaps it was because of the warm embrace she was giving the creature sharing the poster with her, which Kim would have guessed to be some sort of dragon, with blue skin and red wings. Text on the poster proclaimed that Shego was the 'Youngest Grand Champion Ever Inducted', but Kim's eyes only glazed over the writing momentarily, as they kept wandering back to that smiling green visage. It was such a lovely smile…

_OK, I did __**so**__ not just think that_. With a brief shake of her head, Kim tore her gaze away from the poster, determined to look at something else, _anything_ else. Her eyes instantly fell upon a plush toy resting near her upon the bed. Leaning back to grasp it, Kim then brought the plushie closer to inspect it. It was certainly not a Pandaroo, but it was cute much the same. It appeared to be a fox, with long, brown fur, a full fluffy tail, and large ears.

Her investigation of the fox plush was interrupted soon enough by a brief knock near the entrance to her attic bedroom, indicating someone wished to enter.

"Come in," Kim called out with automatic courtesy, placing the Pokemon fox plush on her lap next to Charlie.

Expecting to see one of her parents, Kim broke into a wide grin when it was Ron she witnessed ascending the stairs into her bedroom. He appeared nervous, unsure, but wore a smile just the same.

"Ron!" Kim happily exclaimed, moving Charlie from her lap back to her bed as she rose to greet Ron, her plush toy falling to the floor.

"Hey… KP," the freckle-faced teen began in a somewhat subdued way, "your parents… uh, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P… they told me… they told me about what happened. Are you, uh, OK?"

"Yeah," Kim replied with a hint of sadness as she stepped closer, "I know this is really awkweird, but at least you're still…" Suddenly Kim stopped, her green eyes widening. She had finally noticed the creature that sat upon Ron's shoulder, and in a rare moment of lost control, shouted: "OH MY GOSH! RON! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO RUFUS?!"

Rufus looked bewildered, as his blonde master blinked in shock. "Uh… Rufus is fine… KP? Your parents told me how the world you come from doesn't have Pokemon… so… I'm guessing Rufus is a little… different?"

Kim stared at the creature for a moment, taking in his appearance. The only similarities it shared with the Rufus she knew were the pair of beady black eyes and the large buck teeth it possessed. Other than that, he was smaller, more compact, and covered with thick brown fur.

Finally snapping out of her stupor, her eyes returning to their original size, the dimensional-travelling hero sighed. "Woah, sorry. Guess I kinda freaked out there."

Ron chuckled, amused by her extreme reaction. "No problem, KP. It's perfectly understandable."

"Well… the Rufus I know is a naked mole rat. Seeing a furry version is kinda… weird."

Now it was Ron's eyes that grew wide. "A naked … mole rat? What on earth is that? I mean… naked? He's _naked_?!"

"Eh?" Rufus squeaked, somewhat mortified.

Kim giggled, both at Ron and the horrified Rufus. "Hey, it took me a while to get used to it too."

Calming, Ron scratched the back of his head. "Well, Rufus here is a Bidoof. A plump mouse Pokemon…" Ron had to admit to himself that explaining Rufus as he was to someone identical to his lifelong best friend was unnerving. But, he knew it must be difficult for this KP also, what with being sent to a bizarre alternate reality and all. With more resolve, he continued: "Of course, he's a special Bidoof. They're not usually this smart, or able to talk."

"Special!" The Bidoof piped up, happier now.

Kim giggled again. "Well, I have someone to introduce you to as well." She glanced back toward her bed. "Hey, Charlie!"

"Char?" The Charmander questioned, a little apprehensive.

Ron broke into a grin of child-like enthusiasm. "Woah! Kim, that's… that's a Charmander! Awesome!"

The redhead smiled warmly. Her Mom, and Ron, they were so similar to the ones of her own universe… it was comforting, reassuring. Perhaps, for however long she had to stay here, the experience wouldn't be so bad…

"Oh, your… uh, your Mom said dinner is nearly ready. We should head downstairs."

Kim nodded once, her smile still present. Since explaining everything to her other-worldly Mom, despite the doctor's concern for her own missing daughter, Kim had been welcomed to make herself at home. She had enjoyed a shower, was wearing clean, fresh clothes, and had been free to utilise the computer within her bedroom as needed.

And now, Kim realised she was beginning to feel very hungry.

"Spankin'!"

* * *

Only mere moments after Kim had sat down at the Possible kitchen table to begin her evening meal, the Tweebs barrelled into the kitchen also, rambunctious as always. 

"Hey, is that the…"

"…Kim from the other dimension?" They asked, with no ounce of tact as they too sat down for dinner. Accompanying the young boys were two Pokemon of the same species, which, to Kim's amazement, were also identical to the plushie she had been studying in her bedroom not long ago.

"Be nice to your alternate-reality sister. I'm sure she's had a rough day." James admonished his sons.

Espeon and Umbreon were enjoying their own meal in a corner of the kitchen, appearing to Kim to eat out of bowls much like dogs or cats did. The Tweebs' two Pokemon rushed over to the same corner upon entering the Possible kitchen, their own bowls awaiting them, the Espeon greeting them each with an affectionate lick.

Kim broke her gaze away from the four creatures to glare at her other-worldly brothers. They seemed identical to her own Tweebs, both in looks and personality, and whilst oddly comforting as that was, it was also easy to slip into annoyed-sister mode.

Jim and Tim were seated opposite to her and Ron, with James and Ann each at one end of the table. Rufus was enjoying his own dinner, a much smaller helping than what the Possibles were dining on, the Bidoof stationed upon the table near Ron's drinking glass.

"So, uh, Kimmie-cub," James began tentatively, "how are you finding things?"

Kim swallowed a mouthful of creamy mashed potato before answering. "Well, uh… good. You guys are all so alike to the ones I know… it's good." She managed a smile, before lifting up a forkful of peas and corn into her mouth.

"That's great, hon," Ann replied, after enjoying a mouthful of her own dinner of crumbed chicken breast fillet and assorted vegetables. "Isn't it James?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it's… it's great." Both James and his wife were nervous; they wanted this Kim to feel at home, as their own daughter would, but it was an extraordinary situation to say the least. Not to mention they were worried about their own Kim, and from what James had discovered, it would be no quick and easy task to send this Kim home, or bring their own Kim back. "Kimmie-cub… I spoke to some of my colleagues before dinner. I'm afraid, uh… it's not good news."

Kim glanced up at her father's worried expression, her own visage becoming tensed in concern. "It's OK… just tell me," she softly urged.

James sighed, before gulping down some ice-cold water. "Well… this 'Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer' you told Ann… er, your Mom about… I'm afraid there's no replica of anything even remotely resembling it in our… uh, our universe."

Kim's shoulders slumped, her gaze falling downward to her plate of half-eaten dinner.

"But," James quickly continued in a brighter voice, "we know it's possible to make one. With all the greatest scientific minds I know working together… I'm sure we can reproduce it, or something similar." His own features then fell. "However, with other work and all it may take awhile… weeks, maybe even months."

"Months?!" Kim gasped, looking back up. True, this dimension could be a lot worse; her Mom, her Dad, Ron, the Tweebs… they didn't seem too far removed from their likenesses in her own reality. But, home was home, and at that moment, Kim wanted nothing more to be able to return to her own world, to her own life, since the likelihood of that happening seemed currently out of reach.

James grimaced at Kim's shocked and disappointed expression, and Ann tried to smile reassuringly at him, but she felt bewildered by the news also. The Tweebs were too busy shovelling their faces with food to notice the sombre mood change, but Ron was in-between mouthfuls, and eventually it was he who spoke up.

"C'mon KP, it's not that bad! You've already made a new friend, right?" The blonde youth offered, referring to Charlie, who was still resting upstairs in Kim's bedroom.

"Yeah, I guess," Kim managed with a faint smile.

"And, hey, at least Rufus isn't naked!"

At this, Kim let out a chuckle, with James and Ann sharing confused glances, wanting to leave the subject well alone.

"Not naked!" The Bidoof squeaked between mouthfuls, hoping to cheer Kim up also.

"Hmmm, well Kimmie, maybe you should think about what you might like to do with your time here? If you're going to be staying awhile…" Ann changed the subject, wishing to steer the conversation away from the topic of naked rodents.

Kim pondered the question for a moment before replying. "Well, I… it would be good to have something to do to take my mind off things. What would… what would the other me be doing? College?"

James and Ann both smiled warmly, thinking of their own Kim, and the adventure she was supposed to be undertaking soon. "Actually Kimmie… our Kim does want to go to college, but not yet. She was actually planning to go on her very own Pokemon journey soon." Ann informed the younger redhead.

Kim was puzzled. "Pokemon… journey?"

"Booyah!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "We've been planning it for years, KP! You wanted to wait 'til we graduated high school, and now we have, and you just needed to wait until you got your own Eevee…"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down Ron." Kim brought up her hands, signalling for the young blonde man to calm himself. "Still don't know what a 'Pokemon journey' is. And what's an Eevee?"

"Our Pokemon…"

"…are Eevees," Jim and Tim explained, motioning to the corner where the four Pokemon of the Possible household were still eating.

"Espeon and Umbreon are their parents," Ann stated proudly. "And we were all just waiting for them to have a third, so our Kimmie could have her own." The older redhead was practically beaming at the Pokemon family in the corner of the kitchen.

"Mine's going to be a Jolteon!" Jim suddenly declared, a wicked grin growing on his pre-teen face.

"And mine a Flareon!" Tim added, his own smile forming.

"Electricity and fire…"

"Hicka bicka boo!"

"Hoosha!"

"Now boys, what's wrong with Vaporeon? Or Glaceon, or Leafeon?" James questioned the twin siblings.

Ann let out a small laugh. "Honey, I think they just want the evolutions that are the most destructive… at least according to them."

"Thank goodness not Eevee nor any of its evolutions can learn Explosion," Mr. Dr. Possible muttered with an expression of mild disdain upon his face.

"That's OK," Jim began,

"When we're old enough to have our own journey," Tim continued,

"We'll catch some Electrodes!" They then finished in unison.

"Heaven help us," Ann tried to sound serious, but couldn't help a faint smile from forming on her lips.

Kim, by this time, was utterly lost. "They can… explode?" She asked in disbelief, eyeing the cute fox-like creatures in the kitchen's corner.

"No, _they _can't," Ron laughed, "but some Pokemon can."

The perplexed hero raised a single eyebrow. "Uh… huh." Silent in consideration for a brief moment, Kim then piped up: "Hey, how come the Tweebs got theirs before I did?"

At this question, both Ann and James chuckled heartily. "You let them, hon," Ann began to explain to the pouting younger redhead, "well, the other you. They were all keyed up to have their own Eevees and since you wanted to focus on your high school studies, you let them have the first two."

"Oh," was all Kim managed in reply, her mind racing with all the information she had digested since beginning dinner.

"Hey…" Ron's eyes grew wide, as did his enthusiastic smile, an idea springing to his mind. "Why doesn't Kim go on a Pokemon journey herself in the meantime? I mean, she doesn't need to wait for her own Eevee, because she has Charlie!"

Kim was not as excited about the idea as her blonde friend was. "Ron, I don't know, I…"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Ann complimented, a bright smile evident upon her face. "It'll be a great way to experience our world, and it will help pass the time."

"But… I don't know, I…"

"Your mother's right, Kimmie-cub. Well, she's not _your_… you know what I mean. But it will be a good way to forget about the Pan-Dimensional problem," James added in his usually cheerful manner.

"I… but I don't even know the first thing about it! And…"

"Aw, c'mon KP!" Ron pleaded, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with encouragement, "Wade and I can teach you all you need to know. It'll be the bon-diggity, you, me, the open road!"

"Well, I…" Finally, Kim slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Alright. I'll give it a go. After all, anything is possible for a Possible…"

"A-booyah!" Ron celebrated, throwing his hands in the air, Rufus mimicking the action.

Kim sighed, wondering what indeed she had just reluctantly agreed to.

* * *

Next chapter: So, Kim begins her Pokemon journey... and is confronted by the last person she wanted to see. 


	5. With a Single Step

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Woah, sorry the update took so long! But there were exams, health problems (had to have a blood transfusion, eek!), new Wii games (ironically including Pokemon Battle Revolution) and other reasons why I haven't updated sooner... but I'll try my hardest not to leave it for so long again!

Disclaimer: Isabel Go is the intellectual property of one StarvingLunatic, and used with her permission.

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**CHAPTER 5**

"**With a Single Step"**

"Mommy, remind me again why I have to visit this boring place for the second time within a week?" Shego crossed her arms in front of her chest as she huffed. "Whatever you're looking for, I'm sure you could've found it in Go City."

A middle-aged woman, very much alike her daughter in looks aside from having a normal peach-coloured complexion, blue eyes, and white streaks in her hair, briskly walked the shopping plaza strip of Middletown. Without even bothering to turn around to face her grumpy offspring, as Shego lagged several paces behind, Isabel Go called out: "You know that's nonsense, Shayana. If you'd listen, then you'd know there's a dressmaker without rival here in Middletown. And I happen to think this is a lovely place!"

"Why are we even getting our dresses fitted today? The Latro League Ball is months away!"

Isabel sighed, and spun round mid-stride. "Because we're busy people. Because the perfect dress takes a while to make. Because you can never be too prepared for the social event of the year. Need I go on?"

Shego only pouted and glanced away. "Whatever."

Isabel merely rolled her eyes, before spying a shop in her peripheral vision that sparked her immediate interest. It was a jewellery store, a particular franchise known for its extensive range of jewellery for men. "Ooo, Mel's birthday is coming up…"

"If you want to get Mego the perfect gift, buy him a house of mirrors," Shego smirked to herself, impressed with her off-the-cuff comment.

"_Shayana_," Isabel growled in a warning tone that said '_don't insult your brothers in front of me_', before heading into the jewellery store, expecting her daughter to follow. Which Shego, naturally, did not. Instead, the young raven-haired woman glanced around the Middletown shopping district, before beginning to amble off in another direction, partly to find a store that appealed to her own interests, partly to escape her mother.

_Even if I have to sign a few autographs, it's better than putting up with her all morning_. Arms still folded, Shego walked casually toward the Middletown Mall, which was bustling with the activity of countless Saturday morning shoppers.

One specific pair of Mall patrons, satisfied that they had purchased all that was needed for the time being, were leaving through the Mall's front doors, out into the bright sun and onto the mosaic tiles of the complex's outdoor foyer.

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable were both sporting lightweight backpacks, full of clothes, food and other necessary supplies. Ron wore an enthusiastic grin upon his face, unable to contain his excitement. Kim however, was more subdued, feeling a little apprehensive.

It had been several days since she had discovered the home of her alternate-reality family, and had been taught a crash course in practically all things Pokemon by Ron, Wade, her parents and not to mention the Tweebs, in that time. Kim had protested at the mention of battling the creatures against each other and capturing them in tiny balls, deeming the practices to be inhumane. But Ron and the others had insisted the fighting was more of a sport, a battle of wits, strategy and skill between both opposing Pokemon and their trainers, not a brutal, bloody contest as Kim had imagined it. Her parents insisted that Pokemon rarely suffered any serious injuries if both competing trainers were honourable and caring, and that the Pokemon actually enjoyed the competition. The reluctant hero was also assured that capturing them in what she discovered were known as 'Pokeballs' was in no way cruel either; that it was comfortable and enjoyable for the creature, no matter their size. Kim had not understood the technology of Pokeballs, explaining that nothing so advanced existed in her own universe. Wade and the Tweebs had tried to help her understand, but Kim had zoned out during the long-winded techno-babble speech.

Wade had, to his credit, let Kim borrow the Pokemon Navigator, or Pokenav as it was commonly abbreviated to, specifically designed for her counterpart. Ron had his own, and Kim was amazed at how similar the device was to her older Kimmunicator. She could contact Wade or her parents anytime, research information on a specific Pokemon, or locate her position on the 3-D GPS system installed.

Now, with Ron, and of course Charlie, by her side, Kim was finally ready to embark on her adventure. She couldn't help but wonder and feel pity for her other-worldly self, feeling as if she was 'stealing' the Pokemon journey from her. But Ron had only laughed at the notion, saying he would be more than happy to go on another journey with his KP when she returned, which eased the hero's guilt somewhat.

Kim was also concerned for her own Ron and her own family back in the reality that was her home, her nights partly sleepless as she pondered how they were, if they were coping. If only she could let them all know she was OK…

"Possible!"

Without even turning around, Kim knew who it was that had just barked out her name. She heard both Ron and Rufus, the Pokemon perched upon his master's shoulder, groan in unison as they had pivoted to face the antagonist.

Drawing a breath to calm herself, Kim slowly turned also. "Bonnie."

The tanned prima-donna sneered at the pair, her hands placed upon her hips. "Well it looks like you and loser-boy are finally going on that trip you've been going on about for years. My, how I'll miss you." The last comment was said with obvious sarcasm, and it took all of Kim's self control not to blurt out that the journey wasn't even her idea, but that would make one question her identity as the bona fide Kim of this universe, and she and her alternate-reality family and friends had agreed that only those who it was deemed necessary to tell be informed of Kim's dilemma, which included only them, and the scientists her father were working with to provide a solution. No one else was to know, unless under dire circumstances.

"Loser-boy?" Ron repeated, puffing his chest out with pride. "Is that why I've got the most awesome Bidoof in the world?"

"Awesome!" Rufus squeaked in agreement.

"Oh, _puh-lease_," the aqua-eyed brunette snorted, "it's not like you caught it yourself. Your parents gave it to you. You couldn't even catch a Magikarp on your own."

"I could so!" Ron shot back. "I just, uh… don't have a fishing rod."

Had he or Kim known the truth that Bonnie had never caught a Pokemon before in her life either, but relied on her wealthy parents to supply her with all she needed, they could have commented about the hypocrisy of her statement.

"Whatever, Bidoof Boy," Bonnie moved her icy eyes from Ron to Kim. "Since Miss Slowpoke here finally has her own Pokemon, now I get to pulverize her in a battle."

For the first time, Kim noticed the small cat-like Pokemon sitting next to Bonnie's legs. It wasn't a Skitty or any relative of Eevee, and therefore unknown to Kim. It had blue-grey fur, a long spiral tail and what appeared to be a cottony puff on the end of said tail. It wore a smug expression similar to its owner's, its eyes conveying confidence and superiority.

"Sorry to disappoint you Bonnie, but Ron and I were just leaving," Kim answered, reaching out to pull Ron's arm so they could leave the presence of the irritating brunette. Kim was surprised that Ron held fast, and instead, yanked her towards himself.

"Woah KP!" The blonde boy began in an urgent whisper, "This is your first chance for a battle! And imagine the look on her face when you win… Charlie will be able to take her Glameow, I know it!"

"Really?" Kim didn't feel confident, but the opportunity to humiliate Bonnie in public was too enticing to pass up. "You think we should… battle?" She glanced down at Charlie, the loyal Charmander positioned next to her legs. "What do you think, Charlie?"

The Charmander nodded its head once, eager to prove itself to Kim. "Char!"

"Alright," Kim returned her gaze to Bonnie, the redhead's own smile of confident competitiveness growing. Sliding her backpack gently off her shoulders and placing it upon the ground beside her, she taunted: "Bring it on, Bon-Bon."

By this time, a crowd had begun to gather, spectators excited and keen to witness a Pokemon battle. Some were cheering, but most were quiet in anticipation.

Upon noticing the throng forming, Shego had walked over, wanting to inspect what had captured the crowd's attention. The pale-skinned woman had already been asked for several autographs since abandoning her mother, which she complied to with a cordial indifference, and even now, as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd, Shego heard the excited whispers of fans noticing her presence. But as soon as she spotted the soon-to-be combatants the crowd had gathered for, the Grand Champion no longer paid attention to anyone or anything around her. Shego's jaw fell open, her forest green eyes grew wide, as she identified the girl in fitting blue jeans and a pastel pink sweater.

_Well what do__ 'ya know. It's the crazy redhead who kicked me the other day. This should be interesting_.

At Kim's use of her own mother's irritating pet name for her, Bonnie snarled. "No mercy, Possible! Your Charmander is going to be sorry that it has such a stuck-up trainer like you!"

_Stuck-up?_ Kim repeated in her own mind. _Pot calling the kettle black, much?_

Any further ponderings were interrupted when Bonnie suddenly yelled: "Glameow, Scratch! Aim for its face!"

Kim furrowed her brow, her eyes narrowed in determination. "That's a bit rough, _Bon-Bon_. Go Charlie!" The redhead pointed toward the quickly approaching Glameow, "Do your thing!"

At his master's word, Charlie rushed forward, intending to meet his opponent head-on. Kim's hands were tightly clenched; how desperately she wanted to best Bonnie, still her typical bitchy self, even in another universe. So focused on humiliating her tanned rival was she, that Kim failed to realise that she needed to give Charlie a more specific command. She also failed to notice that Ron's expression of hopeful anticipation fell into one of dismay, or that there was a familiar female figure approaching slowly and subtlety to her left.

"KP, you need to…"

As Ron began to offer advice, Charlie's face met an accurate set of Glameow claws. The nearby crowd gasped in sympathy, feeling for the young and obviously inexperienced Charmander.

"Charlie!" Kim cried out, flinching at the sight of her new friend receiving a face full of sharp feline claws.

"Woah, nice tactic Kim. If you keep running straight into my attacks like that, this will be over in no time." Folding her arms below her bosom, Bonnie smiled, smug and sarcastic. "Don't let up, Glameow, Fury Swipes!"

Instantly, the cat-like Pokemon began batting Charlie's face back and forth repeatedly, the scene somewhat comical.

"Gah! Charlie!" Kim's mind was racing, her chest thundered in panic. Why wasn't the little Charmander defending himself? Or fighting back? In a flash, Kim realised he wasn't acting because she needed to order him to. The crime fighter could have slapped herself for such incompetence. "Dodge, Charlie! Double back and use… ah, use…"

"Ember?"

"Yes! Use Ember!" Kim finally managed a smile, watching as her charge managed to step around his opponent and fire a spray of embers from his mouth. They mostly missed, but a few managed to embed themselves in the Glameow's fur, singeing it.

As the Glameow recovered and turned to face its adversary once more, Kim's smile dropped, as she realised the voice of the one who had just aided her in naming a move for Charlie to use did not belong to Ron. It was familiar, though, unnervingly so. Kim turned her head slightly, almost dreading to see if her assumption of the owner of the voice was correct.

And it was. Standing next to Kim, arms casually folded, eyes looking forward toward the duelling Pokemon, was none other than Shego.

Sensing Kim's gaze upon her, Shego turned her head to look back, giving a slight wave. The younger of the two was dumbfounded, speechless. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no sound came out. Luckily, Shego soon spoke for her.

"Y'know, you might want to give your Charmander another order before it gets pummelled again."

Kim didn't know whether the older female was trying to help her or irritate her. Before the redhead could reply, she heard Bonnie shout in the distance: "Faint Attack! Finish this off!"

Fearing for Charlie, Kim's head snapped back just in time to witness the Glameow quickly move behind the Charmander, out of his vision range, before lunging with a zealous full-body attack.

Charlie was knocked down and forward, the small Pokemon skidding along the tiles of the Mall's outer foyer. He was winded, and seemed to be in pain. Kim rushed toward him, scooping up the little fire-lizard in her arms.

"Charlie, are you OK?" The hero felt tears stinging her eyes. She was not so concerned with having lost to Bonnie, despite her determination to win, but rather felt ashamed for allowing Charlie to become hurt. Ron was by his best friend's side in an instant, just in time to see Charlie open his large blue eyes and nod groggily at Kim.

"Bummer," Ron murmured, scratching the back of his head. "Guess her Glameow is tougher than it looks."

Rufus made a sound of agreement, glancing down at Charlie with compassion.

Bonnie's Glameow had sidled over to its owner, hoping for praise, but Bonnie practically ignored her Pokemon as she cockily strode over to her redheaded rival.

The brunette didn't even need to speak, her condescending smirk expressing volumes enough. Instead, she merely held out a hand, and began to tap a foot impatiently.

"What?" Kim snapped, still cradling Charlie in her arms. "Don't pretend you want to be a good sport about this. _So_ not your style."

"Uh, KP," Ron began quietly and nervously, avoiding eye contact with the icy glare of Bonnie. "She doesn't want to shake hands. She wants her prize money."

"_Prize money_?!" Kim repeated, her eyes growing almost as wide as saucers. "You have got to be kidding me! Like Bonnie needs money?"

Ron could only chuckle anxiously, as Bonnie narrowed her eyes to slits. "You know the rules, Kim. Sometime today would be preferred."

By this time, the crowd that had witnessed the battle had begun to disperse, with only a few people loitering around, possibly hoping for an autograph from the Grand Champion, or even some Pokemon-related advice. The Grand Champion herself was still standing several feet behind Kim, unashamedly eavesdropping the redhead's conversation.

Kim looked at Ron questioningly, and the blonde slowly nodded. "Sorry KP, but she's right. It's bad for your rep as a trainer if you don't pay up after losing," he informed in a near whisper.

"Oh man," Kim sighed, looking up to the heavens. She then took a deep breath before eyeing Bonnie again. "Well, I'm sorry Bonnie, but I can't right now… I used the last of the money my parents gave me this morning on supplies. I could call them and ask them for more, but…"

The turquoise-eyed brunette only scoffed. "Lame excuse, Possible. If you don't offer some cash _now_, I'm going to ruin your reputation before your stupid journey has even started."

Kim frowned in response. "Bonnie, I'm not lying! I really don't have any!"

Shego suddenly stepped forward, making her presence known. Before Kim, Ron, or Bonnie could say anything, the Grand Champion forcefully shoved a fifty dollar note in the victor's hand. "Here, anything to stop your bitching."

For the second time in Shego's presence since being sent to this alternate dimension, Kim's jaw almost fell to the ground. Ron was gaping in a similar fashion, but Bonnie just sneered.

"Can't even pay for your own losses, Kim? Trust a fellow freak to help you out."

Shego's emerald eyes glinted dangerously. "You've got your money. Now get lost."

"Whatever," Bonnie clasped the note tightly, before beginning to make her exit. "I don't care who you are, you're only the Grand Champion because everyone is scared of you. Green-skinned weirdo." With that, the mean-spirited teen turned and sauntered off, strolling right past her Glameow, who was still awaiting congratulations. The Pokemon's ears dipped in disappointment when it realised it was receiving none, before it began sadly trotting after its master.

The display was not lost on Shego, who scowled in disgust.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Kim finally stuttered: "Uh, erm… thanks."

Ron continued to stare, but now that the unpleasant presence of Bonnie was gone, his gaping mouth slowly turned upward into a smile. "She… Sheg… KP… It's… it's…"

The blathering of her best friend captured Kim's attention, and she turned to face him. Immediately, her olive-green eyes widened in surprise at the dazed, dreamy look that Ron was wearing. "Uh, Ron? You OK?"

The blonde only continued to stammer in response. "It's… KP, it's Shego… Wow… It's…"

Finally, Shego turned around to face the pair, arms folded once again across her chest. Instantly, she was taken aback by the gawking male. "Hey, woah, is he always like this?"

Before Kim could respond, Ron lunged forward, his full voice having at last returned to him. "BOOYAH! You're Shego! THE Shego! SHEGO! Oh my god KP it's Shego!"

Kim sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm aware of that Ron."

"BUT IT'S SHEGO!" Ron practically yelled. "Shego, the Grand Champion, she's here I can't believe it, she saw you fight and gave Bonnie fifty bucks…"

"Woah woah woah," Shego waved her hands in front of the yammering lad's face, "easy, easy, calm down, don't have a conniption or anything."

Ron finished his fanboy rant by declaring: "You're even hotter in real life!" This earned him a slap on the back of the head from Kim, who was startled and just a little disturbed by her best friend from another reality's reaction to the green-skinned woman.

Shego, whom Kim noted was dressed in smart casual attire again, managed a chuckle at the display. "It's OK. He's a teenage boy, and I've been called worse things. 'Green-skinned freak', for example."

Ron had finally ceased his babbling, due to an aching head by way of Kim's hand. "She's always like that," Kim spoke to Shego, understanding the reference to Bonnie's words the raven-haired woman had used in her previous statement.

Shego casually folded her arms once again. "Figured. And nice battle by the way, Pumpkin. For an amateur, anyway."

"Uhhh…" Kim wasn't sure if Shego was being sarcastic, or offering a backhanded compliment.

"Well, it's obvious you're greener than, well… me," Shego smirked at her own joke, "and you seemed a little overwhelmed. But I did see potential."

_Wow_. Kim couldn't believe her ears. It actually was a compliment. "Um, thanks. And, uh, thanks for the money thing too."

Shego shrugged her shoulders as if giving money to strangers was an everyday occurrence. "Meh, as long as it shut her up. And don't worry, she's not going anywhere; you'll be better than her in no time."

The redhead's eyebrows shot up. "What makes you say that?"

Shego locked her gaze with Kim's for a brief moment, before lowering her emerald-green eyes to the Charmander in the younger woman's arms. "Because of this," Shego began, patting Charlie's head, a sincere smile forming upon her lips. "You obviously care about your Pokemon. Miss Queen Bitch doesn't."

"Oh," was all Kim managed in reply, noticing that the warm smile that Shego wore currently was very similar to the Grand Champion's expression upon the poster in the bedroom of her other self.

Shego wearing such an endearing expression was unfamiliar and unsettling to Kim, so she found herself glancing nervously sideways, at Ron. She quickly moved her gaze back to Shego however upon noticing the goofy, love-struck grin on the blonde boy's face.

_OK, so Ron is crushing on Shego. So not the drama. Remember, Shego is a celebrity here, not a villainous criminal_…

"So what's your name, Cupcake?"

"Huh?" Lost in her own thoughts, Kim certainly hadn't expected such a question from Shego.

"Y'know, your moniker, what other people call you?" The older woman smirked, amused by the redhead's distracted state.

"Oh… right." _Introducing myself to Shego? This is sure awkweird_. "I'm Kim… Kim Possible."

Immediately, to Kim's surprise, Shego broke down into barely stifled fits of laughter. "Kim… Possible?" The green woman giggled. "Are you serious? Do your parents hate you or something?"

At this, Kim scowled, not appreciating Shego's mockery of her name. "With a name like '_Shego_', you're really one to talk!"

Unable to stop grinning, the older female retorted: "Well that's an _alias_. Doy!"

"SHAYANA!"

Startled by the booming voice interrupting their conversation, the trio turned to face a very angry looking middle-aged woman. If Kim hadn't been too distracted by how amazingly similar the newcomer was to Shego, she may have noticed the pale woman beside her visibly cringe.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! We were supposed to be at the dressmaker's shop half an hour ago!" Isabel Go scolded, placing her hands upon her hips.

"But Mommy I…"

Shego's explanation was cut off by an experienced hand darting out and latching onto a pale green ear.

"OW! Mommy! I'm a grown woman for crying out loud! You can't…"

"Enough talk, young lady," Isabel interrupted once more, beginning to drag her adult daughter away by the ear. The greying woman paused momentarily to offer Kim and Ron a polite smile and nod, before continuing to guide her protesting daughter back in the direction of the dressmaker's shop.

Kim's resolve only lasted several seconds before she broke down into a fit of giggles. _The great and mighty Shego… subdued by her Mommy! I'm never going to forget the look on Shego's face…_

Ron, still in a daze, managed to wave in the direction of the departing Go women. "I'm… I'm Ron Stoppable… Nice meeting you… Shego… bye…"

Smiling deviously to herself, Kim shifted Charlie so she could hold him comfortably in one arm, her other hand now free to snatch one of Ron's oversized ears. "C'mon Ron, don't we have to get going?"

"OW! KP, I… wait, OWW!"

* * *

By the time morning had drifted into mid-afternoon, Kim found herself reunited with the pleasant, tranquil surroundings of the woods where she had first met Charlie. Apparently it was quite a populous area for many different types of Pokemon, and on Ron and Wade's advice, she had returned here to try and catch another creature or two for her team. 

"Uppertown Gym is a Rock-type Gym," Wade had informed her earlier via the Pokenav. "You're not going to do very well if you just front up with Charlie."

Kim knew she was out of her depth in this bizarre, new world, and was happy and willing to follow any advice her friends and family offered.

_Especially after what had happened this morning… Gah, I can't believe I lost to Bonnie so easily_! The young adventurer's face distorted in a scowl as she recalled the humiliating public defeat given to her by Miss Rockwaller. Her hands tensed around the makeshift fishing rod she was currently grasping, the apparatus nothing more than a long, sturdy stick with string attached.

Despite her loss, Kim couldn't help but become enthralled in the competition and action of Pokemon battling. She wanted Charlie to win, but mainly because he was her friend; she wanted him to be proud of himself and to know she would be proud of him. So she knew she had a long road ahead of her, to become a competent trainer, to make the most of her journey. But Kim was determined now to see it through, to be the best that she could, with the time she had in this realm at least.

She currently sat side by side with Ron upon the bank of a calm, sparkling river, hoping to catch a Water Pokemon or two before dusk descended. Charlie dazed upon the thick, lush grass of the river's bank, whilst Rufus kept a keen eye upon his master's fishing line, ready to alert his human friend the instant there was movement.

Ron had been in somewhat of a dazed state since their earlier meeting with Shego, obviously enamoured with the superhero celebrity. Although it was certainly awkweird at first, Kim had become accustomed to her blonde friend's random gushing compliments about the green woman, and to her surprise, she was not at all jealous, but rather bemused by the sitch.

_Well, I guess it was nice of her to pay Bonnie for me… although she's probably mega-rich and can afford it easily… but still…_

Kim's introspection was halted as Ron suddenly exclaimed: "Woah-hey, I've got a bite!"

It had been the blonde youth's idea to try their hand at fishing, funnily enough, because of a comment that Bonnie had made. Kim didn't want to have to ask her parents for more money just yet, so they could not afford to buy fishing rods… but their own hand-made ones seemed to be adequate enough for the time being.

Rufus chattered animatedly as he watched the jerking line, wondering what Pokemon his master might haul up from the depths. Kim's attention was now focused on Ron's fishing line, too, as she felt anticipatory excitement begin to flourish within her chest.

"I'll bet it's something awesome, like a Corphish!" Ron gleefully speculated as he pulled back with his rod. "Or maybe a Marill, or…"

With a final heave of the rod, the snagged beast burst through the water's surface, momentum easily flinging it ashore. Ron, standing now, couldn't help but drop his expression to one of disbelief and disappointment as he realised what he had caught.

"Aw, man! It's just a Magikarp!"

Kim focused her gaze on the flopping red, white and yellow fish as she asked her dejected-looking friend: "What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it?!" Ron asked incredulously, throwing up his hands. "It's only the most pathetic Pokemon in existence, is all!"

"Mmm hmm, lame," Rufus added, shaking his head.

"Oh," Kim stood up also, inspecting the flailing specimen closer. "C'mon Ron, it can't be that bad. At least you've caught something! I haven't even had a bite, and I'm the one challenging the Uppertown Gym tomorrow!"

"Karp karp!" The thrashing fish seemed to agree with the redhead, not wanting to be labelled 'useless'. It looked up at Ron with its dim, almost vacant gaze, trying its best to plead for a chance to prove itself.

The young man sighed, glancing sideways to his backpack, which was placed upon the river bank next to where he had been sitting. "Fine," Ron conceded with a sigh, "I'll catch you. But you can thank KP for it, I was just gonna toss you back in the water."

With that, Ron reached for his bag, unzipped a small side compartment, and pulled out a red and white Pokeball. Then he depressed the button situated in the ball's centre, where the two colours met, thus activating the catch mechanism. With almost no enthusiasm, Ron then threw the ball toward—or rather, dropped it onto—the Magikarp, and the highly technical device, sensing a Pokemon's bio-reading nearby, opened. With a small but intensely bright flash of light, the Magikarp disappeared inside the ball, shrinking and transforming into concentrated energy. After the Pokeball closed, it shook for a few seconds, before a definitive 'click' could be heard.

"Hey wow, you caught it!" Kim beamed, trying to compensate for Ron's lack of interest. If nothing else, his Magikarp-catching display had shown Kim just how a Pokeball worked in action.

"Yeah, yay me," Ron sulked, plucking up the ball that was now home to his new fishy friend. "Well at least you got to see how the catching thing works. Oh, and I proved Bonnie wrong, which is always a good thing."

Kim nodded, unable to stop smiling. Ron's obvious disdain at catching such a weakling Pokemon was humorous, but she was also starting to really look forward to her journey ahead. This universe was certainly different, like nothing she had ever experienced before… perhaps she could even consider her time in this world a holiday of sorts, until her father and his colleagues determined an effective way to send her home.

With growing vigour, Kim quickly packed away her makeshift fishing rod, wanting to explore the forest in the warm sunshine of day now instead, hopefully managing to capture a Grass Pokemon while she trekked.

"Fishing's not really my thing, what with the waiting around and all," Kim explained as she positioned her backpack comfortably. "Grass Pokemon are effective against Rock-types too, aren't they? Let's see if we can find some!"

With that she briskly trotted off, wanting to experience the act of catching a Pokemon herself after witnessing Ron's success in ensnaring a Magikarp. Charlie followed behind his favourite human, his facial expression mirroring Kim's, tiny sharp teeth visible as he smiled happily.

"Hey KP, wait up!" Ron called out, slinging his own backpack over his shoulders once he deposited the Magikarp ball back inside. He then had to jog for several moments to catch up to the enthusiastic redhead.

"What do you know about this Gym Leader, again?" Kim queried when she noticed a slightly-panting Ron appear beside her.

"Apart from that it's a Rock Gym? Not much," Ron answered once he caught his breath a little. "The leader's a pretty new guy, and from what I've heard he's not the friendliest Gym Leader out there. But I have no idea what Pokemon he uses."

"Hmmm." Kim quietly wondered to herself if the Uppertown Gym Leader was someone that she knew. Or rather, if it was this universe's version of someone she knew back home.

Since discovering that Uppertown was the closest city that was home to an official Pokemon League Gym, it seemed only logical to Kim that they should venture there first. Resolving to do her best despite being in an alien reality, especially after losing her first Pokemon battle to Bonnie of all people, Kim was adamant that she would challenge this Gym and be victorious.

And next time she encountered Bonnie, their battle was certainly going to unfold differently!

Entering a rather dense, almost jungle-like area of the forest, Kim grinned to herself as she imagined the expression upon Bonnie's face when Charlie trounced her Glameow the next time the two Pokemon battled.

As her mind raced with pleasant thoughts of dishing Bonnie her much-deserved comeuppance, Kim became a little less aware of her immediate environment. Striding underneath what any regular observer would have guessed to be an innocent overhanging plant, the competitive-natured hero could only freeze in her tracks when something rapidly enclosed around her head, rendering everything dark.

"GAH!" Kim screamed, too afraid to move, her voice echoing slightly around her despite the closed space. "Ron? Are you there? What's happening?!"

"KP!" Ron panicked as he witnessed the scene, unsure of what to do, how to help his friend. He was only a few paces behind Kim, and had stopped dead also once she had been ensnared.

"Gotta help!" Rufus urged, pointing to Kim from his position upon Ron's shoulder.

"What do I do? What do I do?" The blonde youth hopped from one foot to the other frantically, unable to think clearly.

"A little help _now_ would be nice!" Kim scolded from within her pitch prison, annoyed by Ron's tendency to panic, an attribute obviously shared with the Stoppable from her own universe.

Although relieved that whatever had glomped her head wasn't tightening its grip, Kim was sure she could feel the pointy edges of what seemed like teeth brushing against her neck…

"Charlie!" Ron finally snapped out of his stupor to call upon the little Charmander for help. Charlie's eyes were widened in horror as he stared at his master's predicament, his fiery tail swishing wildly.

But before Ron could utter any command, the deceptive plant-beast suddenly let go its hold of Kim's head. Blinded by the sudden surge of daylight, the now-free redhead stumbled backward before falling onto her rear end.

"Woah! That's something I don't want to experience again in a hurry," Kim exhaled, her eyes adjusted now. She lifted her gaze to focus on the creature that had attacked her, and witnessed it let loose the vines that acted as its legs from a tree branch above, swing down and right itself, so it was now upon the forest floor too, staring back at Kim and Ron with a huge goofy grin.

"What a freaky Carnivine!" Ron blurted out, growing a little angry now that the crisis seemed to be over. "Seriously, why'd it do that?"

Kim could only shrug as she slowly rose to her feet, not taking her eyes off the creature in question. Now that it was upright, and not blocking her vision by attempting to eat her head, Kim could properly study the plant-monster.

Its head was indeed huge, and oval shaped, with two big, staring eyes. Its mouth seemed to be split in a perpetual grin, and it had two large leaves for arms and a tangle of vines for legs. At its full height, the Carnivine was almost as tall as Kim herself, and it appeared, somehow, to be hovering slightly from the ground.

To the young woman's surprise, the living Venus Flytrap look-alike then seemed to chuckle, obviously amused by its own actions.

"It's laughing at me? Why?" Kim quirked an eyebrow, her stance automatically becoming defensive. Charlie gritted his teeth and growled at the larger Pokemon in an attempt to be intimidating. Ron could only wear a blank expression of befuddlement, but Rufus seemed to understand the Carnivine.

"Joke," the Bidoof squeaked.

"Huh?" Both humans asked in unison, wanting a better explanation from the plump mouse Pokemon.

"Joke," Rufus repeated, shrugging a little. "Jus sayin' 'ello."

"What?!" Kim cried in disbelief, relaxing her posture slightly. "It was just playing a practical joke on me? Just being friendly?"

"Uh huh," Ron's Bidoof nodded, and to Kim's surprise, the Carnivine did too.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny." The redhead folded her arms, glaring at the plant-monster now.

"Actually, now that you think about it, it was kinda funny," Ron spoke up, finally allowing himself to smile.

"Oh really?" Kim challenged, spinning around to face her friend. "Ron, you were freaking out more than I was, and it wasn't _your_ head in there!"

Ron put up his hands defensively, letting escape a small, nervous laugh. At the gesture, Kim slumped her shoulders with a sigh. "Alright, alright, Mr. Joker Plant has had its fun. Let's go, before it decides it wants to be funny again."

And with that, to Ron's amused astonishment, Kim began to stomp away in the direction from which they had come.

"Uh, KP?" Ron ventured after a brief moment, "You do realise Carnivine is a Grass Pokemon, which is what you're after, right?"

Kim froze, her back still to Ron and the Pokemon in question. Slapping her forehead, the slightly frazzled adventurer couldn't help but think: _In the words of Shego, 'Doy!'_

Turning on her heel once more, Kim faced the others again. The Carnivine hadn't moved an inch, and it was still gawking at her with that big, stupid grin on its face.

"Carnivine? What do you say to making up for pulling that stunt on me by helping me defeat the Uppertown Gym Leader?" Kim proposed, placing her hands casually upon her hips.

The Carnivine twirled around once in a rather showy display, before nodding decisively.

"Guess that's a 'yes'." At last, Kim broke into a smile. It was obvious the quirky Carnivine liked her, even if it did have an odd way of showing its affection.

Reaching behind her to retrieve a Pokeball from within her backpack, Kim began again, "Since you want to come like the Magikarp did, I guess I don't need to weaken you first." Then, with an energetic cry, after depressing the button in the centre of the standard Pokeball, she threw the capturing device at the non-resisting Carnivine.

After the ball clicked, declaring the Pokemon secured, Kim rushed over, her face beaming with a sense of accomplishment.

Now, not only had she succeeded in capturing a Pokemon by the most traditional means for the first time, but Kim also had a Grass Pokemon with which to challenge the Uppertown Gym Leader. Later tonight, when she and Ron had travelled enough for the day and settled on a spot to camp for the night, if they had not reached Uppertown, Kim would use Wade's Pokenav to learn all she could about her newest team member. She was eager for her first victory, wanting to prove that she could indeed do anything, and would endeavour to be as ready for her Gym battle as possible.

Ron ambled over, proud of his other-worldly friend. "Way to go KP, you caught it!"

"Thanks Ron," Kim smiled up at him, still holding the Pokeball that housed Carnivine in the palm of her hand. "Although, you could say, the Carnivine caught me!" She then giggled, referring of course to the unorthodox way in which the plant Pokemon had introduced itself.

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Next chapter: So just who is the Uppertown Gym Leader, and will Kim defeat him on her first attempt? 


	6. Like Stone

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Whew! Man, these chapters just keep getting longer. Sorry again about the wait, and thanks once more to all who have reviewed, favourited, and what not. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

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**CHAPTER 6**

"**Like Stone"**

Kim Possible could barely believe her luck, or her timing. She had managed to reach the entrance of the Uppertown Gym by nearly ten o' clock at night on the same day she had caught Carnivine, with about half an hour to spare before the doors closed, not to be re-opened until the following morning.

Thanks to brisk walking, a smooth bus ride, and more brisk walking that was in fact borderline jogging, the amateur Pokemon Trainer arrived at her destination much earlier than anticipated. Since capturing Carnivine, Kim had been in somewhat of a frantic rush to reach Uppertown, eager to record her first victory in the arena of Pokemon Battling.

Out of breath but exhilarated by the thought of the upcoming Gym Battle, Kim lunged at the front desk within the Uppertown Gym's foyer, startling the receptionist.

"I'd like to register to challenge the Gym Leader, please," Kim huffed, leaning on the receptionist's counter.

Calming now that she realised the late-night visitor was just an overly enthusiastic Trainer, the pretty young blonde receptionist replied: "Uh, OK, Trainer Identification Number, please."

Olive coloured eyes grew wide, as Kim wasn't aware that she even had a Trainer Identification Number. She turned around upon hearing the front door open behind her, just in time to see a breathless Ron stagger in.

"KP… you could warn me… when you're going to run off like that," The blonde lad panted, supporting himself partly on the doorframe of the front entrance.

Kim smiled at her friend. "Hey, Charlie could keep up with me." Upon hearing this comment, the little Charmander, close by Kim's legs as he nearly always was, grinned up at Ron too. It seemed to Ron that the fire-lizard was mocking him, albeit good-naturedly.

"Yeah, well… your tail is on fire!" Ron argued, his comment directed at Charlie, as if having the tip of his tail aflame could somehow aid the creature in running faster.

Suddenly, Kim's eyes widened again as she remembered her current dilemma. "Uh, Ron? Do you know my… Trainer Identification Number?"

Striding over, breath now caught, Ron answered: "It's on that card your parents gave you. Y'know, the one that lets you use all the facilities in all Pokemon Centres in the region for free…?"

"Oh." Kim had forgotten all about the aforementioned card. It actually belonged to her counterpart, and Kim had felt guilty for accepting it… But everyone had assured her that it was 'no big', that the other Kim could just as easily use it upon her return.

Turning back to the receptionist to be greeted by an icy glare of impatience, Kim chuckled nervously whilst reaching into her back jeans pocket to fetch her wallet.

Once the card had been fished from her wallet, Kim only studied the red and white coloured, laminated piece of cardboard momentarily before flipping it over to locate her Trainer Identification Number.

Clearing her throat, Kim then read aloud: "Uh, KAP-16191."

Without any verbal response, the receptionist typed in the code given to her on a nearby computer. After a brief moment, the attractive blonde said: "OK Kimberly, please enter the door to the right. Because it's late and there haven't been any challenges in a while, you shouldn't have to wait long."

"Thanks," Kim smiled, her excitement returning. She walked over to the door she had been instructed to, and was about to open it and wander through, when she noticed that Ron was still loitering at the receptionist's desk.

Running a hand through his windswept blonde hair, Ron smiled his best toothy smile at the receptionist. "So, uh, what time do you get off work?"

The young woman didn't even look up at her admirer. Rufus slapped his face, annoyed by his master's antics.

"_Ron!_" Kim scolded, hand still firmly grasped upon the handle of the door that led into the Gym's stadium area.

"Alright, alright," Ron sighed as he trudged over to join Kim. As she opened the door for them, the teenage boy added: "She didn't seem very nice anyway."

Kim was about to playfully chastise Ron about his hopeless Casanova antics, but her words died in her throat as she stepped over the threshold leading into the Gym's stadium. Her eyes widening in awe as the young adventurer scanned the enormous room before her, it took several moments before Kim finally managed several tentative steps into the room.

She was amazed at how similar it was to a basketball stadium, complete with bleachers for spectators. It was overall a little larger than the average basketball arena, and instead of a court, there was a large rectangular area in the centre of the stadium, outlined in white paint. It was divided in half by a white stripe down the middle, with a circle painted precisely in the centre of that stripe. But what had contributed the most to rendering Kim speechless was the terrain within the battle field; jagged rock formations, varying in size, jutted out from the soil that covered the rectangular area. The rock and boulder mounds mainly lined the longer side edges of the oblong field, with some scattered around closer to the centre for good measure.

"Good luck KP!" Ron encouraged with a beaming smile, before wandering over to the bleachers to watch from a distance, Rufus in tow. Once settled next to Ron, the young Bidoof reached into one of his master's pockets and procured a tiny flag, fashioned from a toothpick and a triangular shred of paper with 'KP' sketchily written on it.

"Yeah… thanks…" Kim managed vacantly in reply, still gaping at the 'Rock Court.'

Her attention was finally forced to focus on something else as a single door on the far side of the room opened, causing Kim to sharply look up. A young man, dressed in what Kim guessed to be a referee's uniform, emerged first, followed closely behind by none other than Will Du.

Kim only just managed to stop herself from screeching 'What?!' and instead opted for more silent gawking.

_Will Du? Seriously? Well I guess he does hav__e the sparkling personality of a stone…_

Dressed in a beige turtleneck and black dress pants, as opposed to the normal attire Kim was accustomed to seeing him in, namely his Global Justice uniform, Will still looked very bland and rigid. His facial expression was on the annoyed side of neutral, obviously not expecting a challenger so late at night.

The serious young man and Uppertown Gym Leader took his place on the opposing side of the 'Rock Court' to Kim, narrowing his beady eyes once he was settled in position, sizing up his challenger.

"I do not appreciate such a late challenge. I will be sure to deal with you quickly," Will smoothly said, his attitude superior and condescending, just as Kim was used to from dealing with the Will from her own universe.

The redhead felt her ire rise. "Sorry to be such an inconvenience," Kim called back, rolling her eyes. _What is he complaining about? Isn't this, like, his job?_ She spared a glance at Ron, who smiled back and offered the 'thumbs up' gesture. Kim found herself now smiling also, her determination and confidence growing. Oh, it would be delightful to defeat the smug Will Du, especially on her first try! She placed her hand in her jeans pocket, where she could feel Carnivine's Pokeball.

Charlie was standing by her legs, and seemed to be psyching himself for action, but Kim didn't wish to use him unless absolutely necessary, knowing the Charmander was at a disadvantage against Rock Pokemon.

The referee, after engaging in a brief and quiet conversation with Will that Kim could not hear, went to stand in place also. "This is a regular elimination battle, and each Trainer may use two Pokemon,' he announced loudly, raising his arms for dramatic effect. "Good luck to the challenger."

Will managed a slight smirk at the referee's words. "Good luck indeed, young lady, for you'll need it. Come on out, Nosepass." He reached into his pant pocket, before producing a Pokeball with different colouring than what Kim was used to seeing. Whereas her Pokeballs were solid red on their top halves, Will's was mainly blue with two small sections of red. The distraction of the slightly different Pokeball didn't last long, however, as Will depressed the button in the centre of the ball, and the contraption popped open.

A beam of light shot forth, and in a matter of seconds, a figure materialised in Will's half of the arena. Approximately three foot high, it was, as far as Kim could tell, basically a big grey chunk of rock with vaguely resembled limbs, and one enormous red nose. The nose, also rock despite its vermillion colouring, in fact took up around a third of the creature's entire visage. Kim blinked several times, frozen in the midst of fetching Carnivine from her jeans pocket. Nosepass was certainly a bizarre looking Pokemon, if nothing else.

"Aren't you going to send out your Pokemon?" Will said, impatience obvious in his voice. "This isn't a staring contest. And I would like to go home sometime tonight."

Kim's gaze was torn away from the geological oddity known as Nosepass up to its pretentious owner, the slick haired and currently cross-armed Will Du.

"Geez, didn't know you were in such a hurry," Kim remarked, her resentment at Will's attitude growing every time the olive-skinned young man opened his mouth. "Let's go, Carnivine!"

With those final enthusiastic words, the challenger released her Pokemon from within its part-time home, and onto the arena. Once the plant-beast had fully materialised from the energy that had escaped its Pokeball, it twirled around once, obviously happy, and probably showing off a little, too.

Will's dark brown eyes narrowed at the sight of the plant Pokemon. _A Grass type. Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be…_

"OK Nosepass, don't let the type disadvantage bother you. Let's bury it under a pile of rocks." He pointed rigidly at the grinning Carnivine. "Start off with Rock Throw!"

And with that, Kim's first officially recognised Pokemon battle was underway. The greenhorn challenger watched in slight amusement as Will's Nosepass shuffled towards Carnivine at a snail's pace, its stubbly stone legs hindering its speed.

"Dodge whatever it throws at you, Carnivine! I know you can win this for me!" Kim encouraged her charge, and the plant monster nodded, not taking its eyes off the still-approaching Nosepass.

When it deemed itself to be close enough, the Nosepass raised its broad, blade-like arms, channelling its energy. Soon, the peaks of the nearby rock formations broke away, and Nosepass used its control to hurl them all forward toward its opponent.

Faced with an incoming barrage of small rocks, Carnivine didn't attempt to move away. Instead, it simply opened its cavernous mouth, and most of the rocks landed inside, causing the plant Pokemon's cheeks to bulge jaggedly.

Kim couldn't help but giggle at Carnivine's 'dodge' technique, but before she could call another command, her Pokemon spat out the rocks forcefully, right back at the Nosepass. Despite Carnivine's creative methods, the rocks did little damage, mostly ricocheting off Nosepass harmlessly. Noticing this, Kim was quick to react.

"Use Bite, Carnivine! Aim for its nose!"

Instantly Carnivine lunged forward, closing the gap between itself and its opponent. Opening its mouth wide, the plant-beast then bit down on Nosepass' large, red nose with as much strength as it could muster. The mineral Pokemon only seemed mildly affected though, cringing only slightly. Otherwise it remained still, waiting patiently for Carnivine to release its nose.

In an effort to impress its redheaded master, Carnivine had perhaps chomped down on its adversary's nose a little too zealously, and hurt its jaw in the process. It released its biting grip before too long, falling back and rubbing its oval shaped jaw with a leafy appendage as it did so.

_Damn… I thought its nose would have been its weak spot… guess its solid rock like the rest of its body…_ Kim sighed in frustration, gently massaging her forehead.

"Tackle!"

The short, sharp word was all that was spoken from the opposite side of the court, and all that was needed.

Whilst Carnivine was distracted nursing its jaw, Nosepass leapt forward with a sudden burst of speed and agility that surprised Kim. It tackled Carnivine's torso with force, knocking the air out of the plant monster a little and also sending it drifting backwards. Much to Kim's relief though, Carnivine recovered quickly, straightening and steadying itself.

_Whew._ "OK, use Vine Whip!" The challenger commanded, and her Pokemon obeyed, elongating several of the vines that served as its legs. Carnivine then began whapping them relentlessly across Nosepass, sending the Rock Pokemon shuffling backwards.

Nosepass raised its flat, chiselled rock-like arms in an attempt to deflect some of the vines. But Carnivine kept up the pace, lashing out with stinging tendrils here, there. Despite driving Nosepass backward almost to where Will stood, the vine whipping didn't seem to be inflicting too much damage upon the Rock Pokemon's solid defences. So, Carnivine decided to be creative again. It wrapped its two longest vines from around the two opposite sides of Nosepass' head, and before its opponent or its opponent's Trainer had a chance to react, rapidly pulled them away, causing Nosepass to twirl around on the spot like a spinning top.

Kim actually laughed out loud this time at Carnivine's antics; the plant Pokemon glancing back at her upon hearing her giggles, obviously pleased with itself.

With its nose acting as a built-in compass for the most part, Nosepass was certainly not used to spinning around at such high speeds, and the action caused it to quickly lose its bearings altogether. When its revolutions slowed to a stop, Nosepass fell onto its side with a solid THUNK, too dizzy to do anything but lay there, dazed and disorientated.

"Sorry to say, but Nosepass is no longer able to battle," the referee announced, unable to hide his own smile at the comical scenario.

"Damn it," Will muttered, holding up Nosepass' ball. "Return, Nosepass." A moment after the Pokeball's button was depressed, Nosepass, still seeing six of everything through its tiny slits of eyes, was summoned back to its ball, becoming concentrated energy once more.

"YES!" Kim exclaimed, raising her arms in the air. "Way to go, Carnivine!"

In response, Carnivine did what was now becoming its trademark single twirl of celebration, grinning widely at Kim.

"This isn't over yet," Will began lowly, reaching into his other pant pocket. "Let's end this, Sudowoodo."

Kim noticed the ball that emerged in Will's hand was alike the ball housing Nosepass, mainly coloured blue around the top half, with two strips of red evenly spaced apart. She watched with curiosity and interest as the Pokeball's locking mechanism was released, sending out another combatant onto the battlefield.

Standing a few inches taller than Carnivine's previous opponent, just short of a full four feet, was Will's second Pokemon, which looked very much like a living bonsai tree. Kim noted that it certainly was cuter than Nosepass, a small smile evident on the new Pokemon's face. The pseudo-tree had two limbs appearing to be branches, both with three green orbs at their end, giving the illusion of foliage. With two skinny legs, Sudowoodo didn't appear very agile, but Kim knew, thanks to Nosepass, that looks could be deceiving.

Not wanting to give Carnivine the opportunity to recover from its previous skirmish, Will soon spoke his first order for Sudowoodo. "Slam it!"

Instantly, the pretender Pokemon dashed forward, faster than Kim expected and indeed faster than the cumbersome Nosepass would have, and walloped the still-smiling Carnivine in the face with one if its branch-arms.

"Come on, Carnivine," Kim encouraged her previously successful-in-battle Pokemon, "I still say you can do this."

Carnivine moved away backwards from Sudowoodo in order to give itself some room, and shook its large oval head, recovering from being hit in the face by a rock-hard limb.

When Kim determined her charge had recuperated enough, she commanded: "Use Bite!"

Immediately after her order Will yelled: "Dodge the Bite and use Faint Attack!"

Fortunately for the challenger Carnivine was quicker, and managed to latch onto Sudowoodo's head before the rock-tree had a chance to manoeuvre out of the way.

Sudowoodo's world had become dark thanks to Carnivine clamping its entire head, and Kim smiled to herself as she was reminded of her first encounter with the hovering plant-beast.

"Damn!" Will cursed, growing increasingly frustrated. He was obviously not welcoming the idea of losing, especially to someone he deemed an inferior amateur, such as Kim. His voice louder than before, Will said: "Slam its head Sudowoodo! Use both of your arms!"

Too terrified to move up until this point as its vision was obscured, Sudowoodo loyally obeyed, smashing both limbs upward into the sides of Carnivine's head. The force was hard enough to make the plant Pokemon let go, and Carnivine again drifted backwards, this time rubbing both sides of its huge head with its flimsy leaf-like arms.

_Wow, poor Carnivine, it keeps getting hit in the head… I hope it can hang in there…_ Kim's brow became creased in concern, not wanting to push her Pokemon beyond its limits. "You OK Carnivine?" She gently asked.

Still smiling its ludicrous smile, Carnivine turned to her and nodded once, before abruptly turning back to face its opponent.

"Good," Kim breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, use Vine Whip!"

Angling its body backwards as it drifted toward Sudowoodo again, the plant monster stretched out its thicker vines, snapping them at the tree impersonator. Sudowoodo managed to dodge the first few whips, as it retreated, but one soon landed squarely in its face. Squinting its eyes at the stinging pain, Sudowoodo was momentarily incapacitated, and Carnivine knew it had a perfect opening.

The plant Pokemon grabbed both of Sudowoodo's 'branches' with vines, wrapping them tightly around the opponent's limbs. Carnivine intended to spin the pretender into submission as it had with Nosepass, but Will was wise to the plant-creature's plan.

"Quick Sudowoodo! Faint Attack, you can't miss if it has a hold of you! Use your whole body!"

Still entangled, Sudowoodo leapt into Carnivine with full momentum, sending the ensnarer flying backwards, its vine grip being released as it was so. The air well and truly knocked out of it, Carnivine crumpled to the ground, its face distorted in pain.

"Carnivine!" Kim gasped, her posture tensing. "You can get up, can't you?"

After making a grunt-like sound, Carnivine forced itself off the stone and dirt floor with its two leafy appendages. It swayed a little as it became upright, but it was still able to engage in battle.

"Oh come on," Will groused to himself. After running a hand through his gelled jet-black hair, he simply called out: "Rock Slide!"

Kim didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief at Carnivine's recovery as she noticed Sudowoodo channelling its power, summoning the nearby rock formations to obey its command. Entire formations cracked up, others lost only sections, but soon enough, a large array of rocks, all shapes and sizes, hung precariously in the air over Carnivine's head.

Its limbs outstretched as it controlled the rock pile, Sudowoodo suddenly thrust its arms down, causing the rocks to give in to gravity, and they tumbled down.

Carnivine only had a brief moment to look up and open its mouth wide, hoping to catch the rocks as it had done with Nosepass' similar attack, but there were simply too many.

Too numerous, too heavy, the rocks crashed down mercilessly onto Carnivine, and before long, the plant Pokemon was practically buried under the rubble.

"Carnivine is no longer able to battle," the referee decided, knowing it was paramount that no Pokemon became too badly injured during the fray.

Kim felt as if her stomach had tumbled onto the floor, much like the rocks just had. She moved forward onto the arena, intending to free her Pokemon from its trapped state.

The pile wasn't so heavy as to seriously injure the plant-beast and soon, with Kim's assistance, Carnivine was free and sitting up, dazed and a little sore.

"You did great, Carnivine," Kim softly praised, patting its head gently. "We almost won, huh?"

Hearing this, Will interjected: "Despite the fact it will only prolong your losing experience and that I will get home even _later_," he spoke the last word with obvious disdain, "may I remind you that you can still send out another Pokemon."

Kim sighed deeply, glancing over at Charlie, who was still standing just behind the line that indicated his master's side of the court. The Charmander looked back with hopeful eyes, but Kim didn't want to risk him being hurt again so soon, the loss to Bonnie still fresh in the redhead's mind. _If he didn't have a type disadvantage I'd give him a go for sure… but…_

Slowly, she brought her olive eyes up to meet Will's now emotionless gaze. "No… it's OK, I forfeit."

She heard Ron shriek "WHAT?!" from the bleachers upon hearing her words, but Kim could only think of Charlie's safety.

Will noticed the Charmander waiting at the opposite end of the arena, and slightly raised a dark eyebrow. "If that Charmander is the only other Pokemon you have, then I would say you have definitely made the right choice."

Kim turned to look at Charlie, hoping to convey concern and an apology in her large green eyes. The young Charmander seemed to understand, offering a sharp-toothed grin in reply, hoping to comfort his master.

"Aw man," Ron groaned, slumping in his seat upon the sidelines. "She was so close."

"Mmm hmm," Rufus agreed, lowering his mini 'KP' flag. "Bummer."

* * *

The better part of an hour later, Kim was sitting cross-legged upon her bed at the Uppertown Pokemon Centre, her mind unable to rest as it played over her near-victory against Will, as well as wondering haphazardly over all of the events that had occurred since the adventurer's arrival in this world.

Kim was disappointed to lose to Will Du, but not disheartened. She knew she was indeed close to ensuring victory; perhaps if Carnivine and Charlie both trained a little more she'd be ready to earn her first badge. She didn't desire another week of waiting; no, she'd ask Ron in the morning if her team could practise against his Pokemon. Kim was sure her best friend from another universe would only be too happy to help.

The lanky blonde was sound asleep, on the bottom bunk opposite Kim's own set of bunk beds. The room was very small and Spartan; it only held the two plain bunk beds with a chest of drawers in between them. But accommodation in all Pokemon Centres for registered Trainers within the same region was free, so who were Kim and Ron to complain?

Rufus was curled up next to his master's head, upon the pillow. The scene made Kim smile to herself in the relative darkness; the Bidoof's fondness and loyalty for Ron certainly endearing. Kim then turned her head to gaze down at Charlie, asleep upon her own bed. Carnivine was resting too, albeit back inside its Pokeball. The redhead had asked the stationed Centre nurse to inspect the plant Pokemon immediately upon their arrival, just to be safe. After Carnivine was given the all-clear, only then did Kim believe she could finally rest for the evening.

Except she couldn't. Her mind churned, unable to calm despite needing sleep. She felt restless. It was taking Kim a little while to adjust to the world of Pokemon Training, and she was used to excelling, to winning. She could really do with a mission right about now…

With that thought, the inter-dimensional traveller felt a rush of homesickness. She was doing her best to keep her time and her mind occupied so she didn't fret about her loved ones in her home world too much, but in quiet moments of reflection, a mild despair gnawed at her. Would she ever find her way home? See her real family again?

Before even realising her actions, Kim had reached for her Pokemon Navigator upon the rooms' single chest of drawers, and was dialling the number of her alternate family's home.

After a few rings her mother picked up, and wary of the intentions of such a late-night caller, tentatively offered: "Hello?"

"Hi, uh… Mom," Kim sheepishly answered.

"Oh, Kimmie," Ann breathed a sigh of relief. "What's wrong? Why are you calling so late?"

"Oh," the younger redhead suddenly sounded deflated. "Uh, sorry, I… I didn't wake you did I?"

"No dear," Ann answered reassuringly, "I only finished my shift at the hospital just over an hour ago. I was relaxing with some late night TV."

"Oh… OK."

"Kimmie, something _is_ wrong. You know you can tell me, right?" Ann's voice was warm, encouraging, and Kim, after exhaling a heavy sigh, tried to explain how she currently felt.

"Nothing's really wrong… I just… I'm just feeling a little homesick."

"Oh." Now, it was Ann's turn to sigh. "Well, dear, you know you are welcome here anytime. I know we can't replace your actual family, but, as you've said, we're pretty darn close!" She offered a light laugh at the end, hoping to ease Kim's loneliness. In truth, she also missed her own daughter terribly, and worried constantly about her. But conversing with this other Kim, so similar to her own, eased her pain, if only a little…

"Yeah… I know…" Kim couldn't help but laugh a little, too. "So do you know if… uh… Dad has made any progress with the other scientists?"

"Hmmm, not really honey. They're still at the ideas stage. After all, it is a mind-boggling concept…"

"Yeah… yeah, I know." Kim sighed again, and Ann felt her heart break a little for the lost girl.

"It'll be OK, Kimmie," the older Possible spoke in a comforting tone, attempting to reassure herself also. "We have some of the best scientific minds in the country on our side."

"Yeah… sorry I'm all down." After a brief silence, Kim then added, "I had my first Gym battle today."

"Oh?" Ann perked up, happy for the subject change. "How did it go?"

"I lost."

"Oh… well there's always next time, sweetie. Pokemon Training can't be mastered in a matter of days."

"No, I know," Ann was pleased to note Kim's voice sounded a little more upbeat now, "besides, I nearly won."

"No doubt," the older redhead chuckled. "We all know anything is possible for a Possible."

Kim couldn't help but smile at her family motto, uncannily the same in both universes. "Thanks Mom, but I better let you go. I'm sure there's a trashy late night movie on just waiting for you."

Ann could only chuckle again at such a comment. "OK, I'll talk to you later, honey."

"Bye, Mom."

After pressing the disconnect button on her Pokenav, Kim brought the device up to her face, and peered into the blank LCD screen. Although she felt a little comforted by the voice conversation with her other-worldly mother, the young adventurer still did not feel ready for sleep. There was another call she was contemplating making, but Kim was undecided. Would he be able to help her, even if he could? Would he understand how important the request was?

Twirling the red communications device around in her hands, Kim mentally fought with herself. She knew she should be attempting sleep, but the need to at least try her idea was overwhelming.

With the screen facing her once again, Kim searched for another number in her Pokenav's memory, and dialled it. Knowing the one she was calling would be using a device similar to hers, Kim's eyes remained on the small screen while she waited for an answer.

Soon enough, the young computer genius Wade Load appeared on-screen, and when he realised it was Kim contacting him, he suddenly looked a little startled.

Or perhaps embarrassed? Kim broke into a wide grin, unable to stop the first words from tumbling out of her mouth being: "Nice pyjamas."

Wade shifted his gaze nervously, his cheeks flushing slightly. The pattern on his choice of nightwear consisted of two Pokemon; they seemed to be bunnies, and were almost identical in appearance, except one had red ears and the 'plus' symbol on both its cheeks, whilst the other had blue ears and 'minus' symbols. It was certainly more cutesy than Kim expected of the boy genius.

"Uh… thanks," Wade finally stammered. His face colouration returning to normal, he then asked: "What can I do for you this time of night?"

Kim's smile disappeared and her expression grew serious. "I have a favour to ask…"

"OK, shoot."

The young woman was silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to express her request. "Could you… uh, find out if there's any suspicious criminal activity going on? Tap into security systems and such? Even if only locally…"

Wade's eyes grew wide. "Umm, is this about those… 'missions' you go on back in your home world? Because I don't think I should…"

"This is really important to me, Wade," Kim cut him off. Her eyes and her voice were pleading, and the young boy felt his resolve quickly weakening. "I just need something… normal, to, y'know, feel… grounded?" She shrugged, unable to put her emotions articulately into words.

Wade sighed in response. "It's OK, Kim, I get it. I'll do a search…" With that, the young genius turned his attention to his computer, situated right in front of him, as Kim could see.

Over the rapid clattering of keys, Kim quietly praised: "You rock, Wade."

After several long moments and many security footage searches, Wade let out a short "Ha!"

Kim leaned forward, anticipation bubbling in her chest. "Do we have a sitch?"

Wade returned his attention to Kim, beaming at the redhead now. "You're not going to believe your luck, Kim. There's a break-in at the Uppertown Laboratory of Neuro Sciences. That's only several blocks away from you!"

Kim's olive green eyes sparkled. "No way. Spankin'! I'll leave right away!"

Wade's expression became solemn, distracting the excited redhead. "Please… please be careful, Kim. If something happened… and I was the one who…"

"I'll be fine," Kim assured with a confident smile. "I may be an amateur Pokemon Trainer, but this? With this stuff, I'm a professional."

With that, the eager hero disconnected, and quietly leapt to her feet. She didn't wish to wake Ron, after all, not to mention Rufus or Charlie.

She tiptoed to the room's door, glancing back at the snoring Ron. Convinced he wouldn't wake easily, she opened the door as gently as she could, before slipping out into the night.

A single pair of bright blue eyes did open, however. Charlie awoke in time to witness Kim close the door over behind her, but not shut it completely. The loyal Charmander jumped off the bed, eager to follow his master no matter where the young woman was headed.

* * *

Running with her Pokenav firmly grasped in her hand, the device displaying a map of the immediate area, Kim had made it to the Uppertown Laboratory of Neuro Sciences in a matter of minutes. She studied a wall on a darkened side of the large lab complex, locating an air vent. Although certainly more difficult without her trusty hairdryer-grappling hook gun, Kim would still be able to enter the laboratory through this vent.

About to begin her climb, the hero was startled to feel a slight tugging at the bottom of her jeans leg. Kim gasped almost silently in surprise, before whirling her head around to gaze down at whomever or whatever had stolen her attention.

And there was Charlie, smiling in an expectant and somewhat mischievous manner. Kim breathed a sigh of relief, before a fond grin grew upon her pretty features.

"Did you follow me out here? It could be dangerous, little guy," Kim told her Charmander, her voice tinged with concern.

Charlie responded by puffing his chest out, attempting to appear intimidating. To Kim, though, it was endearingly adorable.

"You wanna help, huh?"

The fire-lizard nodded. In truth, he was disappointed that he didn't have the chance to prove himself in battle earlier; he understood why Kim had chosen not to send him into the fray, but he still felt a little inadequate. He wanted to show his beloved human master that she could depend upon him.

"OK," Kim smiled at Charlie affectionately, before picking up the little Charmander with both hands. "We're going in. Hang on tight!"

Charlie proved useful practically right away, his tail providing light as Kim crawled through the dusty ventilation ducts of the Uppertown Laboratory of Neuro Sciences. The adventurer progressed as quietly as she could, not wanting to draw attention in case whoever had infiltrated into the facility had guards standing by, and also, so she could listen out for anything suspicious.

Before long, Kim's sharp ears were rewarded. She heard the slight din of a male voice wafting in from a nearby room, and whispered to Charlie to lead the crawl in that direction.

As the voice became louder and clearer, Kim shook her head slightly in disbelief. She knew that voice… she knew it all too well.

"… and with these neural compliance chips I will help Sir Gemini rule the world! BWAHAHAHA! … I wonder which continent he'll give me?"

Kim's eyes were ablaze with determination and fury as she glared down at the cackling man through the vent grate. _Drakken. Still crazy and still a bad guy, I see. Still blue, too. At least he'll be a whole lot easier to deal with without Shego on his side…_

With that thought, she kicked the grate open forcefully and leapt down, landing gracefully upon her feet. The sudden noise caused Drakken to spin around and yell: "YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME THIS TIME, TEAM GO…"

All of a sudden, Kim and Drakken shared looks of confusion. Two red-clad henchmen, near Drakken's side, glanced at their superior, then at the intruder.

After blinking his eyes several times, Drakken then exclaimed: "You're not Shego!"

Kim sighed in frustration and rolled her olive eyes. "No doy."

Hearing scraping noises, Kim then looked up to see Charlie attempting to climb down from the vent. She reached up to catch her accomplice just as Drakken screamed: "HOUNDOOMS!"

With Charlie safely in her arms, Kim gazed back up just in time to see three ferocious-looking Pokemon canines surround her. They had horns instead of ears, and a sharp pointed tail much akin to how a demon's tail was classically represented. To Kim, the phrase 'Hell Hounds' certainly came to mind. Gulping nervously, she clutched Charlie tighter, unsure of what the beasts guarding her were capable of.

"Ha ha! Now the hero wannabe is scared," Drakken sneered, taking a few steps closer to Kim. "Little girls should stay home when it gets dark and scary!" He cackled again before finishing: "Well I have all I need, so maybe I'll just leave you here to be Houndoom food!"

Kim couldn't take her widened eyes off the Houndooms. They were bearing their teeth, snarling, growling. If she were alone, she would have tried to fight her way past them, but with Charlie to worry about…

The sudden sound of repetitive whirling blades belonging to a helicopter coming into earshot distracted all occupants of the sterile lab. Kim glanced up, believing the volume indicated the helicopter to be landing on the building's rooftop. Soon, the approaching whine of sirens sounded too, and Drakken's blue face paled considerably, his expression becoming panic-stricken.

"Oh snap! They're here! We're outta here, now!"

The mad scientist spun around, his tiny gloved hands carefully holding a small metallic box, home to his prize, the neural compliance chip prototypes. He stopped dead, his expression falling further, when he noticed the figure blocking his escape in the lab's doorway; the figure being the last person he wanted to see.

"Sorry Dr. Dork, but you're not going anywhere."

"GAH!" Drakken screeched in a mixture of frustration and surprise. "How did you get down here so fast?!"

"Oh what, the helicopter? That's just my big, dumb brother providing back-up. I got here a few minutes ago."

Kim, far across the other side of the room from where the exchange between Drakken and his would-be captor was taking place, could barely believe her leaf-green eyes. Drakken was on the verge of being apprehended by none other than Shego, wearing her traditional black and green jumpsuit—with the added extra of a black strip of cloth around her eyes, which Kim remembered to be a Team Go accessory.

The redhead stared, silent and unmoving, no loner paying sole notice to the Houndooms still surrounding her, as Shego ambled toward the terrified Dr. Drakken.

"Oh what? I'm not worth sending the whole team for?" The blue man gibbered nervously as he retreated from the piercing glare of the black and green clad superhero.

"Nope," was Shego's simple reply.

"Grrr," Drakken growled lowly, obviously insulted. "Henchmen! Do your thing!"

Obedient, but far from intelligent, the lackeys rushed forward, arming themselves with taser stun-guns as they did so. Shego merely smirked at them before rendering both muscle-bound buffoons unconscious in less than ten seconds, from a combination of expertly executed martial arts moves and a little helping of her trademark green plasma.

"Wow, they're getting worse," the green woman remarked as she stepped over the henchmen's bodies, eyes fixed on Drakken. "Gemini needs to find better help."

As he continued his way backwards, dodging steel-topped benches and three-legged stools, Drakken cautioned a glance behind him. His dark beady eyes sparkled as he realised he may just have a means of escape.

"Speaking of our one-eyed friend, what's he up to? What did he order you to steal?" Shego continued on, oblivious to Drakken's thoughts.

"A-ha! Advance no further, Shego!" The blue scientist commanded, abruptly stopping, his confidence returning in the physical manifestation of a ludicrous grin. Shego halted also, glaring at him with impatient eyes. Knowing now he had the superhero's attention, the mad inventor took a dramatic step sideways. "It might interest you to know I have a hostage! One wrong move and I'll order my Houndooms to tear her to shreds!"

Shego's gaze fixed on the figure pressed against the far wall, a figure that was indeed surrounded by three viscous Houndooms. Emerald eyes grew wide in alarm, then recognition. Shego gasped before quietly admitting: "Hey, I know you."

Kim felt utterly useless, unable to help apprehend Drakken through fear the Houndooms might attack Charlie if they were separated. Still, she managed a weak: "Yeah, hi."

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Looks like I win this round, Shego!" Drakken declared, fetching a remote control from within one of his lab coat pockets. Of course, Shego was not ready to admit defeat just yet, not that she ever was. With a shrug, she placed a hand casually upon her hip, leading Drakken to believe she was not about to make a sudden move.

For the split second Drakken shifted his attention from Shego to the remote control grasped in his little gloved hand, the green woman moved faster than the blink of an eye, sending multiple pulses of plasma energy crashing into the floor just near the Houndoom packs' feet. The hellish beasts whimpered and scattered, giving Shego the opening she needed to flip over toward the previously cornered girl, landing just in front, her back facing Kim, the superhero assuming a protective pose.

Before Drakken could gather his wits or re-assemble the Houndooms, Shego then brought her middle finger and thumb of her right hand up to her mouth, letting out a shrill whistle.

In mere seconds a blur of blue and red shot through the same door Shego herself had entered through, coming to a halt only inches away from a wide-eyed Drakken.

Kim stared at the new creature, which obviously belonged to Shego. She had seen it before, upon the poster adorning the wall of her other self's bedroom... the Pokemon that Shego was hugging in that same poster was now staring down Drakken. It appeared to be a dragon, but not an overly large one; Kim imagined it would have difficulty carrying anyone heavier than the likes of Shego around. But it sure was fast, though, responding to Shego's call in a matter of seconds. It appeared powerful too, despite not being any taller than five feet from toe to the top of the head. Drakken certainly seemed unsettled by its presence, anyway.

"Take care of the Houndooms, Sal," Shego ordered, and Sal, as he was named, obeyed.

Kim watched the red and blue dragon chase all three Houndooms around, clawing at them, breathing trails of bright orange fire at them. The Houndooms didn't completely submit though, they snapped back at Sal with glistening teeth, spat fireballs from their own mouths at him. It was really quite a spectacle, especially to someone like Kim, relatively new to the world and wonders of Pokemon.

She felt Charlie begin to struggle in her grip, and when she glanced down, it appeared her Charmander was becoming enthusiastic about the fray. He swiped out with his claws, mimicking Sal's attack, obviously barracking for the dragon.

With terrible timing, Hego then burst through the lab door, heroically announcing: "I'm here to help, sis!"

Predictably enough, he was dressed in his own blue and black variation of the Team Go outfit, complete with eye-mask. He was accompanied by his own Pokemon too, a green-skinned creature with a humanoid body, albeit with two extra arms, but a more reptilian than human visage. It was as tall as Hego, if not taller, and had muscles to match its master, too.

Drakken chose this new distraction as the time to press the largest button upon his remote. With a deafening crash, a hovercraft came plummeting through the laboratory's ceiling, destroying part of the roof and scattering dust and debris everywhere. Drakken lunged into the flying disc whilst the others were temporarily blinded and choked by the cloud of dust the hovercraft's entrance had created, before calling for his Houndooms to join him. The sound of the mad scientist's voice was enough to guide the black canine beasts to their escape vehicle, and Sal was left chasing and attacking dirt clouds.

Finally as the dust settled, Drakken could be seen lifting off into the night, stolen neural compliance chips still in his possession. "You think you're all that, Team Go, but you're not!" He boasted loudly, holding his prize high above his head.

"Oh no you don't," Shego muttered, a dangerous glint now evident in her eyes. "Sal, over here, now!"

Sal immediately obeyed, and to Kim's astonishment, Shego leapt upon the dragon's back before they shot up through the ceiling's new makeshift skylight and into the air, chasing after the escaping Drakken.

Kim and Hego both moved to stand directly underneath the gaping hole caused by Drakken's hovercraft in order to witness Shego's chase.

"Gah!" They heard Drakken shriek. "Don't you ever quit?"

"Nope," came the casual reply.

"Grr! Enough! Houndooms! FLAMETHROWER!"

Unfortunately for Shego, she was in an unfavourable position to apprehend the fleeing madman. Although Sal was quick enough to catch up to the hovercraft, having three Houndooms all aiming a fearsome Flamethrower attack towards them as she tried to fly close enough to the disc to board it was proving the task impossible for Shego.

Annoyed but determined she would capture the incompetent Drakken next time, Shego ordered Sal to return to the lab below, where Kim and Hego waited.

"It appears that the evil genius escaped," Hego commented upon his sister's return.

"You think?!" She snapped in reply, obviously livid. "No thanks to you, you big idiot! And since when does he have _three_ Houndooms?"

Hego shrank slightly at his sister's harsh tone, then watched silently as she stomped to the nearest wall, lit up her hand with bright green plasma, then punched right through the wall in anger.

The older brother of the temperamental Shego gulped, before stammering: "I'll, uh, I'll just take these guys out to the police." Referring to Drakken's henchmen, the ultra strong superhero then picked them both up with ease and exited, his four-armed Pokemon companion following.

Kim quietly set Charlie down upon the floor, and after what seemed to be an eternity of empty silence, found the courage to whisper: "I'm sorry."

Shego, thinking she was now alone, had been startled by the voice, despite how quiet it had been. She spun around, emerald eyes wide, before realising who had spoken the gentle apology. Her visage then relaxed, before she shrugged and asked: "For what?"

"Uh…" Kim wasn't quite expecting that response. She had guessed Shego would blame her also for Drakken's escape, and unleash more fury in the redhead's direction. "For… not being more helpful? I was worried about Charlie, and…"

Kim was cut off by a deep, exhaled sigh. "It's OK. It's not your fault, Princess. I understand." Shego's expression then darkened, and Kim noticed her gloved hands clenching tightly into fists. "I just hate the way they abuse their Pokemon… the way Gemini trains them… and uses them… as human shields sometimes… and… I just… GRRR!" The enraged woman punched the wall again, but not nearly as hard as before. "Bastards…"

Sal, sitting on his haunches next to his master, looked up at her forlornly. It did not go unnoticed by Shego, who gently said: "I know Sal. I know you tried your best, and I know you didn't want to hurt the Houndooms any more than I did… it's not their fault their masters are a bunch of assholes…"

Kim was quite shocked by Shego's display of caring for Pokemon, even those belonging to the enemy. "Shego…" she began in a whisper, taking a tentative step toward the green-hued woman, "don't worry… Drakken's an idiot. I'm sure you'll get him next time." The words didn't sound real, even though Kim was well aware they were being spoken by her very own mouth.

Here she was, comforting Shego about failing to apprehend Drakken, and genuinely feeling sympathy for the older woman. Kim suspected at any moment that she would wake up and realise that this was all some bizarre dream… but that moment never came.

Shego managed a lazy-half smile. "Thanks, uh… Kim, wasn't it?"

_Yep, this is __so__ the definition of awkweird_. Kim nodded once, confirming that Shego had remembered her name correctly.

"Kimmie…" Shego's expression became slightly puzzled as she glanced around the semi-destroyed laboratory room, "what exactly were you doing here, anyway?"

Fern green eyes grew wide, and Kim felt her mouth become dry. "I… uh… I…" She knew the truth would sound absurd, so the redhead thought it best to lie. "I'm in town to challenge the Gym… and I was out for a walk with Charlie when I heard strange noises coming from this building…" Not the best liar in the world, Kim's voice trembled slightly as she sought to explain herself, and she silently hoped that Shego believed her story.

"I… see," was all Shego said in reply, bringing a gloved hand up to her chin as she spoke.

Kim smiled and glanced around nervously, hoping for a distraction or change of conversational subject.

Thankfully, her young Charmander provided a diversion at just the right moment.

Both Kim and Shego watched as Charlie toddled over to Sal, slashing out with his right claw as he approached. Sal merely glared down at the lizard condescendingly, but his master laughed lightly. "Hey Sal, I think he wants to be like you. Charlie, isn't it?" The Charmander smiled brightly and nodded, pleased that the woman had remembered his name. Sal harrumphed and rolled his eyes, causing Shego to click her tongue at him. "Hey, c'mon, he's just showing his appreciation for you scaring off those Houndooms. You were a kid once too, y'know."

Unconsciously, a warm smile began to form upon Kim's face. Shego seemed to genuinely care for Pokemon, not holding the same contempt and general disdain she seemed to have for most of her fellow humans.

Any further pondering by the redhead was disrupted when Shego suddenly said: "Hey, waitaminute." Kim noticed the older female then narrow her eyes as she studied Charlie, so she too focused her attention on the Charmander.

Charlie's claws seemed to be glowing an odd silver colour whenever he slashed out with them, as he still continued to do sporadically. Kim was puzzled and a little concerned, but Shego soon alleviated her fears by simply stating: "I think the little guy is trying to learn Metal Claw."

Kim rushed forward, suddenly overcome with excitement. "Really? That's awesome, Charlie!"

"Char!" The Charmander exclaimed, slashing at the air once again, his claws glowing even brighter now. The only one not enthralled in any way by the new development was Sal, who simply appeared bored.

After lashing out with a few more enthusiastic metallic slices at nothing, Charlie then raced over to Kim, obviously proud of his accomplishment. "Way to go, Charlie!" Kim giggled as she picked him up for a congratulatory hug.

"Challenging the Uppertown Gym, huh?" Shego's lazy smile returned as she tapped her chin in thought. "Well, Charlie may be a Fire type, but Metal Claw will help your cause."

"Oh?" That certainly piqued Kim's interest.

Shego then scoffed and added: "That Will Du is such an ass."

Kim could only chuckle and express her agreement with: "That he is."

To the redhead's surprise, Shego's expression then suddenly grew grimly serious. "Hey Kimmie, you don't happen to know what Dr. Dumbass stole, do you? There's all sorts of technology here Gemini could be after."

Kim winced, certainly not pleased that Drakken had managed to escape with the prize that he had. "I'm pretty sure I heard him call them 'neural compliance chips'."

Shego's vibrant green eyes grew wide. "Mind control?"

"Mind control."

"Such a Drakken thing," both women then said in unison.

Without thinking, Kim then jubilantly declared: "Jinx! You owe me a soda." She then immediately realised what she had said, and became mildly embarrassed, blushing a little. Shego only smirked, obviously amused.

Before the green woman could retaliate, Hego re-entered through the room's main entrance, and having heard the last snippet of conversation, asked: "There's a Jynx in here?"

Shego and Sal seemed to groan and roll their eyes in perfect synchronicity, the display not lost on Kim, who giggled lightly.

Hego, at last, acknowledged and addressed the redhead, in his usual booming voice: "It is good to see you are unharmed, Miss. But I suggest in the future you leave the crime-fighting to the professionals."

Kim growled lowly and her expression became that of someone who was obviously offended. Shego noticed, and wanting to lighten the redhead's demeanour, quipped: "Professionals, Hego? Then what are _you_ doing here?"

Now, it was Hego's turn to look offended. His impressive jaw fell wide open, as the young man was unable to comprehend how his younger sister could be so insolent. Despite the fact that she had been so since she was old enough to talk…

Kim tried not to laugh, raising a hand to her mouth to stifle any giggles that might escape. Sal chuckled heartily; it was a low, throaty sound.

After several long moments of gaping, Hego finally spoke again, trying to appear and sound unperturbed by his sister's insults. "I came back to inform you that Drakken's henchmen have been arrested, and also to see what was taking you so long. Our job is done, sister, we should return home." After offering Kim a polite farewell nod, the blue-haired beefcake then exited once more, hoping Shego would not be too far behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Shego sighed, shrugging a little. "Come on, Sal." Returning her gaze to Kim, Shego then added: "Later Pumpkin. Pummel Will for me, OK?"

Kim couldn't help herself. "Will do," she replied, holding back a chortle.

Shego laughed sharply. "Hey, nice one." With those words, the black and green clad superhero then left, most likely to return home to Go City. After glaring at Kim briefly, obviously unimpressed by her play on words, Sal then loyally followed his master.

Kim and Charlie were then alone in the remains of the lab, and the redheaded hero stood still on the spot for a long moment, her mind processing all that had transpired in the lab that night.

Kim stared vacantly at the lab door that Shego and Sal had just disappeared through, unable to comprehend how caring the older woman had appeared to be toward Pokemon. And how friendly she had been toward Kim herself…

With a heavy sigh, a suddenly exhausted Kim Possible finally made her way for the exit, Charlie still ensconced in her arms. Although her mission had technically been a failure, she had witnessed and learned much in that one encounter.

Silently, slowly, she began her trek back toward the Uppertown Pokemon Centre, her mind swimming in a wave of tumultuous thoughts. Foremost of those thoughts were regarding Shego; in a world where everyone else was so similar to their version in Kim's home universe, why was she the only one different? Shego, the celebrity superhero, adorer of Pokemon?

_Is she __really__ all that different, though? _Kim pondered, realising she didn't actually know the green villainess in her home world all that well. Sure, she knew the Shego that everyone else knew, the front, the façade… but the real person?

Kim sighed again as she rounded a corner, the Pokemon Centre now coming into view.

The young woman needed to clear her mind, to try and achieve a restful night's sleep so, tomorrow, she could focus on what was currently important: her rematch with Will Du, and the fact that she needed to win that rematch.

* * *

Next chapter: Kim _finally_ wins her first Pokemon battle. And Poke-world Monique makes an appearance. 


	7. Third Times the Charm

ZOMG super quick update! Well it's not quite as long as previous chapters, but still. Thanks again to all who read, review, and such. Hope you enjoy...

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

"**Third Times the Charm"**

"Are you sure Shego didn't remember me? That she didn't say anything?"

Kim sighed and tried very hard not to roll her eyes. "No, Ron. She didn't say anything about you."

"Aw man…" The blonde's face fell, but Kim couldn't help but smile a little to herself. Since she had informed Ron about her escapades of the evening previous, all the boy could talk about was Shego. Had she remembered him from the day of Kim's battle against Bonnie, did she ask about him, what did she say… Ron was certainly crushing hard, much to Kim's bemusement.

"You should've woken me up!" Ron suddenly declared, throwing his hands up in the air. "I would've have been useful too! …In some way…"

The young blonde man's raised voice caught the attention of several passers-by, who mostly gave Ron strange looks. He and Kim were currently walking down one of the main streets of Uppertown, headed toward the Gym once more. Kim had decided against asking Ron for help in training her team; after Charlie's experience from the night before she felt suitably confident. She wanted to challenge Will early, to beat him soundly, to dent his annoyingly smug demeanour.

So, here she and Ron were, bright and early, much too early on a Sunday morning to be engaged in such activities, Ron silently thought.

"It was dangerous, Ron," Kim continued, arguing against requesting her friend's assistance for the mission of the previous evening, "I mean, Drakken's Houndooms…"

"See, you got to meet Dr. Drakken too! He's one of Gemini's men, they're always fighting with Team Go! _And_ you met Hego as well! You're all, hanging out with the superheroes fightin' the bad guys like…"

"_**Ron**_," Kim sternly cut off the growing rant, "it's no big. Calm down."

After a deep, disappointed sigh, Ron was barely heard to mutter: "Just wanted to see Shego up close in that Team Go outfit is all…"

Kim let out her own sigh before shaking her head. She had neglected to tell Ron about the Shego from her own universe; she didn't want to ruin his strange fan-boy fascination, as bizarre as it sometimes was to Kim, and disappoint the young man. In fact, the more she thought about the Shego sitch, the more disappointed and disheartened she felt herself. Why couldn't the Shego she had known for years still be a superhero, working against the likes of Drakken instead of for them? The only obvious difference between the two worlds, at least in Kim's eyes, was the existence of Pokemon in the place of 'normal' animals from her home world.

_So if the Shego back home could have had a pet dragon, she wouldn't have become a villain?_ Kim couldn't help but smirk to herself at such a ludicrous thought. _Yeah, like __**that **__makes any sense._

"Hey girl!"

The sudden shout from a familiar female voice caused both Kim and Ron to look up, and then smile. Monique was standing outside a store just a few businesses away from the pair, waving them over with one hand and holding a small Pokemon to her chest with the other.

"Monique!" Kim beamed as she raced up to her friend. She then realised that this Monique was unaware of the inter-dimensional dilemma, and hence Kim needed to be careful with what she said.

"Wade told me you two finally started your own Pokemon journey. About damn time," Monique told Kim as the redhead stopped in front of her.

"He, uh, did?"

Monique made a mock-angry face. "Why didn't you tell me yourself, huh, girl?"

"Er…" Kim felt her nerves stir, "I, um, forgot?"

"Yeah, you know what Kim's like," Ron suddenly added, appearing by said girl's side. "Gets an idea in her head, rushes off, forgets to tell people. Stuff like that always happens."

Needless to say, Monique wasn't entirely convinced. She countered with a sceptical "Mmm hmm."

Kim thought quickly, as was one of her strengths. True, Monique was a close friend, in both universes apparently, but Kim decided it wasn't necessary to reveal the truth. At least, not yet…

"Well… it was kinda spontaneous. You know I was supposed to wait for my own Eevee, right? Well, I caught a Charmander the other night and decided to start my journey with him." Kim hated lying, and she wasn't skilled at it, but in such an unreal sitch, she felt it was the best option.

On cue, Charlie appeared from behind Kim's legs. He offered Monique a cheerful "Charr!"

"Oh, he is so cute!" Monique squealed at the sight of the little fire-lizard. "Your parents not disappointed about the Eevee thing?"

"Nah," Kim waved a hand dismissively. She tried not to stare at the Pokemon Monique was securely clutching to herself, assuming that she was supposed to already know the creature, and therefore could not ask about it. It did stare at Kim though, with large, round eyes, a small smile evident on its cheery face. It seemed to closely resemble a manta ray to Kim, but a very small one. A baby one perhaps, coloured a vivid blue and possessing childlike chubbiness.

"So you're challenging the first Gym already, huh?" Kim's sly inspection of Monique's Pokemon was disturbed as the young African-American woman spoke again. "Hope you're not planning on just taking a Charmander in there."

"Oh? Oh, no, I have a Carnivine too."

Monique's chocolate brown eyes grew large. "What now, girl? You _have_ been busy!"

Suddenly worrying that Ron might mention her battle with Bonnie or their encounters with Shego, Kim quickly asked: "So why are you in Uppertown?"

Monique smiled brightly, before gesturing toward the store they were situated in front of. "Shopping, girlfriend! Although not for me. This store is supposed to be one of the best in the area for Pokemon accessories."

"Um… great?" Kim did her best to sound enthusiastic, unsure exactly how one accessorised a Pokemon.

"Oh!" Monique's tone grew even more excited, "I need to tell you about the Contest I entered yesterday! Wasn't nothing important, so not mad you missed it, but boy, you won't believe what happened!"

Kim gave Ron a quick glance, hoping she was subtle enough to avoid Monique's detection. Ron noticed, and understood, returning his own look that conveyed the message that he would explain details later.

"So, what happened?" Ron then managed to ask Monique.

"Well, I just finished showing my lil' Mantyke here in the Appearance Round, blinged him up good too, you shoulda heard the applause!" At that moment Monique petted her Mantyke's head before continuing: "Anyway as I was walking off stage, I see some young Japanese punk in the front row calling out that Mantykes are fugly! Seriously, what's up with that?!"

Ron tried to stifle a chortle, whilst Kim glanced down at Monique's Pokemon. "Aw, Mon, I think he's cute."

"Of course he's damn cute!" Monique vehemently agreed. "Well you know what I did? I jumped off stage, marched right up to the boy and slapped his face."

Kim's eyes widened, and she made an 'o' shape with her mouth. Ron, unable to stop smiling, urged the story to continue. "Then what happened?"

Monique let out an elongated sigh before muttering: "And then I got disqualified."

That was the last straw for Ron; he couldn't help but double over laughing. Kim managed to show more respect for Monique's misfortune, offering a sympathetic look, despite finding the story hilarious herself.

Monique glared daggers at the guffawing blonde. "Oh laugh it up boyo! How many ribbons has Rufus won for Cute Contests, huh? Oh that's right, none."

"Hey hey hey," Ron grew immediately serious, straightening himself up. "Insult me all you want, but leave my buddy out of it. Besides, Rufus is plenty cute!"

Hearing the conversation, the Bidoof popped his head out from Ron's pant pocket. "Uh huh, 'dorable."

"They're _both_ cute," Kim spoke up, playing the role of peacemaker. After hearing a questioning sound come from her Charmander, she then added: "And so is Charlie." Not to be left out, the Pokeball in Kim's right jeans pocket rattled a little, causing the redhead to sigh. "Yes Carnivine, you're cute too! Geez."

Visibly amused herself now, Monique smirked at her best female friend. "Charlie'd go good in Contests y'know. Maybe you should think about entering him sometime? Well he'd go better than Rufus anyway."

At that comment, Rufus blew a raspberry at the young dark-skinned woman. Holding up her free hand, Monique laughed. "Easy there fuzzball, I was just joshin' 'ya." After a moment, she then thoughtfully added: "Oh, Kim? If you're going to challenge the Gym now, I'll come and watch. I'll just grab some things in here," she pointed to the nearby Pokemon accessories store, "then catch up with you. 'Kay?"

"Uhh… OK, Mon…" Kim quietly agreed, watching Monique enter the accessories store. She then turned to Ron and said: "Guess I **really** need to win now, huh?"

* * *

"Well I certainly didn't expect to see you back so soon. You mustn't care much for the well-being of your Carnivine."

Kim narrowed her determined eyes at the pompous Will Du, who was standing at the opposite end of the Uppertown Gym's Rock Arena, much as he had the day before.

"Carnivine is fine," Kim began lowly, her glare at Will lessening none. "Aren't you pal?"

With that, Carnivine was whisked out of the challenger's pocket and released onto the battlefield. After twirling once, the ever-happy plant Pokemon then nodded in agreement with its master's statement.

"Hmphh." Will glanced around the Gym, before allowing a slight smirk to grace his thin lips. "You actually have spectators here to witness your loss this time. Sure you want to continue?"

Kim briefly investigated the stadium herself. Sure, there were enthusiastic Pokemon Battle fans, fellow Trainers, children, parents, all set to watch the upcoming battle. Initially Kim had felt a little nervous when entering the Gym earlier to find a small crowd of eager audience, but that quickly settled. The cheerleader was used to performing in front of crowds, and if anything, having extra witnesses only made Kim more determined to win.

Soon enough her olive-green eyes found Ron and Monique, both smiling brightly at her. Rufus sat between them, brandishing his 'KP' flag once more, and Mantyke sat upon Monique's lap, grinning widely for no apparent reason other than it was happy.

Kim turned back to Will, a confident smirk now fixed upon her face. "Bring it on."

The Uppertown Gym Leader shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by the challenger's confidence. "Very well. Alright Nosepass, you're on!"

As the Rock Pokemon emerged from its ball, the crowd cheered lightly, obviously excited to see one of the Gym Leader's combatants. A quiet "Boo" was heard from a certain flag-wielding Bidoof, causing Monique to giggle and Ron to quietly reprimand his plump-mouse friend.

The first match went similarly to the battle of the day previous; Carnivine was too quick for the shambling Nosepass, and was able to catch any Rock Throw attack the Compass Pokemon conjured in its more-than-adequate mouth.

Although Will was wise to Carnivine's 'Spinning Top' trick, it didn't stop the plant-beast from thoroughly giving Nosepass the run-around. From a combination of stinging Vine Whips, captured-rock-spitting and general out-manoeuvring, Carnivine was soon victorious, and Nosepass was banished back to its Pokeball, much too soon for Will's liking.

The crowd cheered for the challenger and their Pokemon also, which Carnivine seemed to lap up. It twirled for them, waving its leaf-arms. Kim could only smile to herself and shake her head, amused by her Pokemon's antics.

"You go girl!" Monique was heard to call out, followed by a "Booyah!" from Ron.

Kim kept a level head though; she knew that Will's second Pokemon was rather tougher than his first. She expected Carnivine to win the first match easily, and her expectations were met. But now, the difficulty was going to be raised a notch; now, if Carnivine couldn't finish the fight off, Kim would see how capable Charlie was.

Before long, Will summoned his second, and more powerful, Pokemon. "Let's show her, Sudowoodo."

Kim's face tensed slightly when the tree-impersonating Pokemon appeared, knowing it was stronger and more agile than its predecessor. Relaxing her features after a brief moment, Kim then called out to her charge: "Let's have some revenge for yesterday, Carnivine!"

Carnivine nodded, before drifting toward its opponent, the plant-beast also wanting desperately to win in order to amend for the defeat of the night before. It thrashed a vine at Sudowoodo's face as fiercely as it could upon hearing Kim's command for Vine Whip; Carnivine intended to respond to its master's orders as quickly and effectively as possible, hoping to prevent Sudowoodo from landing a successful attack itself. But Sudowoodo was well experienced, and soon enough, landed a few hard hits of its own. It managed to slam Carnivine in the face once more, thinking the plant Pokemon's visage may still be tender from yesterday's battering.

Which, Carnivine lamented internally, it was. The plant monster doubled back, bringing its leafy arms up to its face as it cringed noticeably. Kim cringed along with her Pokemon, feeling guilt rising. Carnivine had been given the all-clear from the nurse at the Uppertown Pokemon Centre, but Kim guessed that didn't mean her combatant's face couldn't still be a little sore.

Still, Carnivine wasn't ready to quit. After dodging another attempted Slam from Sudowoodo, it managed to bite the Rock Tree Pokemon on one of its arms. Sudowoodo had to shake its limb rather vigorously to make its attacker loosen their grip, and the pseudo-tree threw off its own balance in the process.

Carnivine, after being dislodged, immediately swooped back with the intention of unleashing another vicious Vine Whip attack, but Sudowoodo stumbled to the side, causing the plant Pokemon to miss. Momentum caused Carnivine to crash into the ground several feet away from its intended target, and Sudowoodo, having recovered its balance, saw its opportunity, much as its Trainer, Will Du, did.

As soon as the Gym Leader commanded for "Rock Slide", Sudowoodo began to channel its power into the surrounding rock formations that littered the arena. Carnivine knew better than to try and catch the fleet of rocks in its mouth this time, and tried to move out of the way instead. But the plant-beast was a little dazed from its crash, and only had time to place its leafy appendages upon its head in a protective manner before the rocks came plummeting down.

Bearing the impact of most of the rocks with the top of its head, Carnivine then toppled forward, a little concussed, arm-leaves still folded atop its crown.

Kim winced, knowing her Pokemon should not be expected to battle further. Calling Carnivine back, she gently spoke to the ball that now housed the plant monster once more. "Thanks Carnivine. You did your best, just like yesterday." She then brought her eyes to meet her opponent's, and Will raised a dark eyebrow in query.

"I take it you plan to forfeit again?"

To his surprise, Kim broke out a wide smile. "Nope." She turned to the little Charmander standing next to her legs. Charlie sensed her gaze upon him, and met her eyes with his own, puffing out his chest a little to convey his readiness for battle.

"Alright Charlie, Sudowoodo may be bigger and stronger, but you're way faster," Kim began to the Charmander, who listened intently. "Avoid its attacks by quickly circling around it, then, whenever you have the chance, use Metal Claw on its legs. OK?"

Charlie nodded once, his eyes sparkling in anticipation. At last, he had another chance to prove himself in battle!

Kim sent him off with an enthusiastic "Go Charlie!" and the crowd responded by making various sounds expressing surprise or disbelief. Except Ron, Monique and Rufus of course, who cheered loudly for Kim's little friend.

Will couldn't hide his smug amusement, not that he had the intention to try. "Your Charmander? OK, it's your loss."

With a determined scowl, Charlie marched toward Sudowoodo, undaunted by the fact that the Rock Tree Pokemon was almost double his height.

As soon as Will ordered "Let's end this quickly with Rock Slide", Charlie broke into a run, outstretching his right claw. As he neared his opponent, the Charmander's nails began to glow silver, and before Sudowoodo could channel any power into the nearby rock mounds, it felt a sharp slicing pain in one of its legs.

Startled, Sudowoodo jerked away, grimacing from the pain Charlie's claws had wrought. Will's brow furrowed. _Hmm… that Charmander sure is fast._ He then spoke aloud: "Use Low Kick to daze him first, then finish it with Rock Slide!"

Responding to its master's command for a change of tactic, Sudowoodo lashed out with its non-injured leg, trying to kick its fire-lizard opponent. But Charlie jumped back and safely out of harm's way just before impact, then leapt forward once more to slash Sudowoodo's outstretched rocky foot with metallic claws.

"Yes! Way to go Charlie!" Kim threw both arms up in the air, unashamedly proud of the little Charmander. "Keep it up until Sudowoodo falls over!"

"Low Kick, and make sure you hit him this time!" Will yelled his own command, the Gym Leader's voice louder and less patient than before.

Both legs now aching, Sudowoodo flung out the foot nearest to its opponent. Charlie leapt away again, but was not quite fast enough the second time. The kick only brushed his torso though, doing no damage.

Knowing Sudowoodo was probably expecting the leap-back-and-slash technique he pulled off with the previous attempted kick, Charlie instead ran around to his opponent's non-kicking leg, before unleashing more metallic claws of fury upon it. Being the first leg that the Charmander had formerly attacked, the limb was now throbbing somewhat, and Sudowoodo attempted to hobble away, hoping to distance itself from its opponent momentarily.

But Charlie wasn't going to allow that; he clung closely to Sudowoodo, waiting for another chance to attack. And as soon as there was an opportunity, the Charmander lunged, this time with both claws poised. With vigour, Charlie slashed his metal claws across the opposite leg than he had previously attacked, so now both lower limbs had been sliced twice.

It was simply too much for the Rock Tree Pokemon, who stumbled, then fell over completely, its normally docile face contorted in pain.

The referee glanced at Will, who was glaring at his redheaded challenger so fiercely that the referee wondered if the Gym Leader even noticed how much pain his Pokemon was in. After a brief moment of contemplating his decision, a moment in which Sudowoodo failed to become upright again, the referee then declared: "Sudowoodo is unable to battle further. The challenger wins!"

Kim's eyes grew large, and she wondered if she had heard correctly. "Say what?"

Will tightly shut his eyes and shook his head, unable to believe he had lost to someone he had guessed to be an amateur. Begrudgingly, he fetched Sudowoodo's Pokeball from his pocket and returned the Rock Pokemon to it.

"It's OK, Sudowoodo. That Charmander was just too fast…" The defeated Gym Leader murmured to Sudowoodo's Pokeball. Lowering his head, he let out a disappointed sigh, before then muttering: "Damn it."

The crowd was cheering, none louder than Ron, whose distinct cry of "BOOYAH!" carried over all the other happy shouts.

When reality finally broke through Kim's disbelieving haze, the auburn-haired challenger couldn't help but break into a face-splitting grin. "Yes! Charlie, I knew you could do it!" Kim then exclaimed in celebration, jumping up a little off the ground. Charlie raced over, beaming a wide toothy smile himself. He was scooped up immediately in a proud, congratulatory hug by Kim. "We won! We won! Awesome, this is so awesome!"

As the crowds' cheers died down, Will Du began to reluctantly make his way over to the victorious challenger. Kim noticed, and tried not to smirk triumphantly at the uptight young man.

Surprisingly, Will offered his hand, which Kim humbly took in order to shake. "You have my congratulations," the Uppertown Gym Leader said, his voice no longer raised but back to its low-spoken monotone. "It's not often my Pokemon are defeated by a Fire type, especially such a young one."

Charlie grinned up at the young man from his place still within Kim's arms, aware that his master was not fond of the Gym Leader's attitude.

"Why thank you, Mr. Du," Kim answered, trying her best to sound appreciative and sincere.

Will straightened his posture and cleared his throat, before procuring a small metallic object from his pocket and offering it to Kim. "It is my duty as the appointed Gym Leader of Uppertown to bestow you with this Granite Badge upon your victory, as is the stated rule of the Pokemon League of the Latro Region of North America. Again, congratulations."

"Uh… thanks," Kim repeated, a little dumbfounded now. She took the small metallic badge from Will's outstretched hand, before inspecting it more closely. It was shaped round with the front painted in a brown rock-like design. Flipping over to the silver back of the badge, Kim saw the words 'Uppertown Gym' inscribed.

Now the battle was over, Ron and Monique, along with their Pokemon of course, had left their seats and ventured down to where Kim and Will were standing. They heard Will inform Kim that she was also entitled to 100 in prize money, which she could collect from reception, before noticing Kim's shocked expression.

Letting her friend absorb the information for a moment, Monique then said: "Looks like lunch is on you, girl!"

* * *

The complex was well hidden, as any decent Evil Lair should be. Amidst the underground caverns of a small island off the west coast of Middle Latro, the hideout had proved impossible to find for both the secret governing body known as Global Justice Network, as well as the persistent annoyances known as Team Go.

Reading the information currently displayed on his large LCD computer monitor as he sat in his luxuriously oversized leather chair, Sheldon Director thought of how both his meddling sister's secret agency and his superhero archenemies had failed to find his extravagant secret lair. Funnily enough, they probably didn't think it would be right under their noses, underneath an island that was technically part of the Latro region, home to both his sister and Team Go. That was part of the genius though; off the heroes were, searching for the whereabouts of one Sheldon Director, more commonly known as Gemini, in most likely exotic and distant locales, but here he was, only a stone's throw away.

The one-eyed super villain smiled to himself, thinking of both Global Justice and Team Go as incompetent fools. Soon enough, they would no longer matter, though. Soon enough, he thought with glee, they would no longer exist at all! Now that he had the means to set his plans into motion… which reminded him, shouldn't that idiot Drakken have reported to him by now?

The Worldwide Evil Enterprise, or WEE; that was the name the media had christened his organisation with. But Gemini thought that acronym to be immature and ridiculous. No, he much preferred the name he had bestowed himself; Team Gemini. It was his evil organisation after all, shouldn't his name feature in the title?

Not far from where Gemini perused his computer, a single small Pokemon slept atop a large, comfortable cushion placed upon the floor. Canine in characteristics and appearance, with dark gray fur, large red eyes and a slight under-bite, it pricked its ears up and raised its head, suddenly wide awake.

"What's up, Pepe? Someone coming?"

Sure enough, the blue-skinned scientist known as Dr. Drakken entered through the automatic double doors that led into the room of Gemini, his boss.

"Good evening, Sir! I brought you some cocoa-moo!" Drakken greeted, holding two mugs, one in each tiny, gloved hand.

Gemini rolled his single eye. "It's called hot chocolate you moron. Set it down over there," the boss pointed to the lesser-cluttered end of the main computer desk with his custom robot arm.

Drakken hastily obeyed, before making his way over to Pepe, to offer the canine Pokemon a greeting and a pat, mostly to impress the Pokemon's one-eyed master. "Nice poochy…"

Pepe growled, and Drakken frowned and backed away, before muttering: "Stupid Poochyena doesn't like me…"

Upon hearing this, despite not being meant to hear it, Gemini replied: "That's because he has good taste."

Drakken crossed his arms and pouted, offended by his boss' lack of respect. After several moments of silence, Gemini glanced up from the computer screen to see the unattractive sight of Dr. Drakken in full sulking mode. With a sigh, he began to his employee: "For heaven's sake, I was merely joking. Now, what do you have to report? I trust you managed to obtain the neural compliance chips?"

Instantly, Drakken's scarred blue face brightened. "A-HA! Yes, yes indeed I did! Of course, Sir Gemini! Even Shego was no match for me!"

Gemini scowled at mention of the green superhero's name. "You mean, Shego was no match for the Houndooms."

Drakken, still possessing the extreme emotions of a child despite nearing his fifth decade, crossed his arms again. "Meh, something like that."

Uncaring toward the blue man's mood swings, Gemini pressed on regarding the business of their meeting. "And the clones were just as powerful as the original? No problems there?"

Drakken nodded, a tiny grin forming again upon his sneering lips. "Nope, they were fine! Just as powerful if not more so."

Gemini smiled himself, before bringing his normal hand up to thoughtfully fiddle with some neatly trimmed facial hair. "And the neural compliance chips? You can work with them to get what I want?"

Sharply nodding again, his smile growing larger, Drakken responded: "Yes, yes they are perfect! Once the modifications are complete, we will be able to take over the world! Bwhahahahaaaa!"

Gemini cringed, craning his neck slightly. _Why does he always have to laugh like that? The foolish madman. Like I'm going to let him rule the new world with me…_

Despite what he had led Drakken and his other cohorts to believe, Gemini certainly had no intention of allowing others to co-rule the new world he intended to create. No, it was to be Gemini's world, his and his alone. If lackeys like Drakken didn't like that, well, they would simply be disposed of.

A sinister smile growing upon his slightly rounded face, Gemini returned his attention to his computer screen. He didn't notice Drakken ambling forward, a thoughtful expression now upon his blue visage.

"You know… if Shego finds out what we're up to… she's going to be really, REALLY mad. And she's always _kinda_ mad…"

Gemini couldn't help but smirk as he gazed up at Drakken once more. "You're really scared of her, aren't you?"

"What?! YES! I mean, er, no! No, of course not! Well, maybe a little…"

Chuckling at Drakken's conflicting response, Gemini slowly shook his head. "Easy, man. You're not wrong. She doesn't seem to like it when Pokemon are exploited…" The international criminal mastermind became lost in thought for a moment, recalling the numerous encounters his organisation had had with Team Go. _Damn that girl. Her brothers would be useless without her. But, I will be rid of her soon enough…_

Returning his mind to his current conversation, Gemini then continued to Drakken: "Foolish girl. What else can Pokemon be used for if not as tools to further our cause?"

A sharp growl from nearby made Gemini quickly amend his statement. "Except you of course, Pepe. You know you're special, schnookums."

Luckily his boss' gaze was focused on the pet Poochyena, so Drakken's disgusted expression at the cutesy nickname went unnoticed.

Satisfied that Pepe had been soothed, Gemini glanced at the computer screen briefly, before raising his single eye to meet Drakken. "But not even Shego will stop us. Soon, she will be defeated. For you see, Dr. Drakken, I have gathered some information that might interest you," he tapped on the computer's monitor with a metallic finger, "after much research, watching videos of our battles with Team Go and such, it seems we have discovered that Shego has a weakness."

That certainly gained Drakken's full attention. His beady onyx eyes sparkled as he let out an interested "Oh?"

Standing up, Gemini's smile grew truly menacing. "Yes. Tomorrow, I'll be sending my best team of Pokemon Catchers to the frigid peak of Mt. Freeze."

* * *

Next chapter: Kim gets another addition to her team, after rescuing the Pokemon from poachers...


	8. Stampede!

* * *

Man, I am so so sorry it's taken so long to update! Rest assured, this story won't die... it may just take a while to squeeze it all out of my brain! Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed, you guys keep me inspired! Hope you enjoy, and I'll try to get the next chappie out much sooner.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

"**Stampede!"**

It was a beautiful day, as pleasant as any of the recent autumn days had been. The sun was bright and warm, a slight breeze ruffled leaves and grass, skies were blue and sparsely dotted with clouds.

Unfortunately for Skitz, though, she could enjoy none of it. The young kitten Pokemon was already preoccupied, trying, and mostly failing, to block out or ignore her Mistresses' off-key warbling.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Luxray sleeps tonight… A-WEEE EE-EEE-EEE-OOOO…"

Lagging several paces behind the uniformed, on-duty Pokemon Ranger Riff Carter, Skitz cringed every now and then at a particularly hideous note, knowing that the human should certainly not give up her day job.

Patrolling along Overview Ridge, Riff glanced down at the vast area that was below, the wildlife-abundant Beau Plains. She was in good spirits, hence the singing, enjoying the warm sunshine while it lasted, as winter was only around the corner.

About to launch into another enthusiastic chorus, Riff was suddenly interrupted by her Pokenav beeping, indicating an incoming call. Skitz sighed in relief, knowing her Master would now be distracted from finishing her woeful attempt of a popular song.

Answering the video call on her communications device, Riff couldn't help but grimace when she realized who was contacting her. Glaring back from the Pokenav's small LCD screen was the stern visage of her Ranger Superior, Steve Barkin.

"Uh, hi, Mr. Barkin, sir…"

"Carter!" Barkin bellowed abruptly, narrowing his eyes. "Daydreaming again, weren't you? I was expecting a report on that Tauros herd by now!"

"Uh…" Riff gazed at the lush green plains far below. "I… I haven't spotted them yet, sir."

"Maybe because you're dawdling?" Her senior snapped. "You know a herd in a wide, open space like that is a prime target for poachers. Pick up the pace or I'll dock your pay!"

Riff frowned a little. She certainly had no intention of letting the aforementioned Tauros herd, or any other wild Pokemon, be snared by dubious poachers. Barkin knew that, knew how much she cared for the plight of Pokemon; perhaps it was just part of his genetic make-up that he needed to yell more often than not. Maybe he'd self-destruct otherwise, the young Ranger Riff pondered. She then briefly entertained herself with thoughts of Barkin self-destructing, literally, much like a volatile Electrode.

"Oh. And another thing, Carter," Steve Barkin began again in a calmer tone, disrupting Riff's humorous thoughts, "I need you to help train my Hariyama later this week. I haven't had any decent challengers lately and he's becoming a bit… soft."

Riff raised both auburn eyebrows. "Uh, sir, y'know, Hariyama's are supposed to be… big boned." She really didn't want to have to battle against Barkin. The senior Ranger was ultra competitive, and she had to deal with him enough at work…

"There's big boned, and there's _fat_, Ranger Carter. He needs practice, decent opposition. You know who to bring."

The young woman's eyes lit up with amusement, as she opened her mouth to speak, but the gruff Barkin quickly cut her off. "And if you say 'Skitz' I'll have you suspended from Ranger duty for a month!"

Skitz's pink and yellow ears pricked up as she watched her Mistresses' expression become one of mild annoyance. _Really, he has no sense of humour_, Riff mentally sighed.

"Saturday morning, o-eight hundred, at my place. And don't hold back and let Hariyama win either. I'll know if you do, Carter!"

Riff's mouth had fallen far open. "Eight o' clock Saturday morning?! But sir…"

"That's final, Ranger Carter!" Barkin interrupted, yet again. "And I expect a report on that Tauros herd soon!"

Before Riff could utter a single word in reply, Barkin cut his end of the transmission. The young Pokemon Ranger growled, positively infuriated by the man that was her Ranger Superior.

"Don't go easy on him, huh? I'll whoop his damned Hariyama's butt!"

Skitz tilted her head to the side, amused by Riff's small outburst. _Oh well, better her fuming over her boss's orders than singing terribly_, Skitz thought as she trotted loyally behind Riff as they continued their journey along the ridge.

Unbeknownst to the annoyed Pokemon Ranger, she was not the only human trekking along the picturesque Overview Ridge at that moment. On the opposite side, across the beautiful Beau Plains and further ahead than the patrolling Riff Carter, travelled two eager adventurers.

Ron, boisterous as usual, was retelling, from his point of view, Kim's winning gym battle against Will Du. Rufus, riding in his Master's pocket, would cheerfully add enthusiastic noises every now and then, the Bidoof's short furry arms gesticulating in a far less elaborate manner than Ron's.

Kim was only half-listening. Having experienced the battle Ron was detailing first-hand, she didn't need to pay absolute attention. The dimensionally-foreign hero let her mind wander, as she enjoyed the magnificent scenery and fresh air. Her thoughts drifted from home, to events that had transpired since her arrival in this alternate reality—including her encounters with Shego—to her next destination and ultimately, her next gym battle.

The pair were headed to a nearby mountain range, where the highest peak, named Mount Discipline, was home to the second designated gym of the Latro Region Pokemon League of North America.

"… and when you only had Charlie against that Sudowoodo, man, I thought you were toast!"

Charlie, leading the group by a few paces, glanced back at the yammering blonde, wondering if the human realised the unintended pun he had made, seeing as the Charmander was a Fire-type Pokemon.

Kim certainly didn't catch the accidental joke, as she pondered how difficult a gym battle would be if you had to scale a mountain in order to partake in it.

Impressed by how untouched the natural environment outside of major cities seemed to be in comparison to her home world, the active redhead was enjoying the relatively casual travelling-by-foot. Of course, one could catch different varieties of transport to trek around Latro, even hire flying Pokemon; but taking in the sights, immersing yourself in nature… Kim had been informed that it was all essential to the Pokemon journey experience.

To Kim's surprise, Ron broke from his dramatic narration of her win over Will to suddenly exclaim: "Wow, look at all those Tauros!"

Following the direction of her friend's finger far down to the plains below, Kim could only agree. "Yeah, there must be at least fifty… of those." She studied the herd with narrowed green eyes, from her safe position high above them. With tan-coloured pelts, Kim decided the creatures were very much like bulls, albeit with three tails each.

The Tauros were peacefully grazing, occasionally emitting low bellows. But unseen by the humans far above atop the ridge, and unknown to the Tauros herd, another smaller creature was nearby, lying low, frightened and anxious.

It felt alone, lost, bewildered. It had seen its mother and siblings captured by humans, and had only just managed to escape. After running for days, the exhausted critter had decided to rest within the pleasant Beau Plains, relieved by the lack of human presence.

A little wary of the much larger Tauros, it kept its distance, hiding amongst shrubbery as it regained its strength. The young Pokemon was hungry and almost helpless, but was determined to not let itself be captured by the same terrible monsters that stole its family away: humans.

* * *

"Oh, there they are! At last," Riff spoke largely to herself, although Skitz was listening also. She had finally spotted the Tauros herd, grazing lazily in the sun. After mentally counting the number of members in the herd, Riff was about to contact her Ranger Superior when Skitz suddenly growled loudly in order to gain her Master's attention.

Distracted by her companion, the Pokemon Ranger followed her Skitty's gaze. Far below, moving from behind trees to shrubs to any other cover they could find, were three very suspicious-looking human males.

"Poachers!" An enraged Riff snarled, as she began running along the ridge, her mind racing as quickly as her youthful legs.

"These Tauros are just waiting here to be captured, seriously!" A burly young man with an unruly blonde mullet exclaimed as he led his two cronies toward the currently oblivious herd of Tauros.

"It does seem a little _too_ easy, boss," one crony carefully commented, appearing and sounding nervous.

"_Shut up_," the other lackey scolded from nearby. "Eddie here is right. They're just waitin' to be stolen!"

The leader, Ed, or Motor Ed as he preferred to be known as due to his penchant for mechanics and 'totally awesome souped-up rides', smiled dangerously. "Let's rock, boys. A-YEAAH!"

There was no way for Riff to know how many Pokemon the poachers had in possession to assist them, or if there were any more would-be Tauros thieves lurking nearby. And if they caused the Tauros to stampede…

Decision made, Ranger Carter pressed a speed-dial assigned button on her Pokenav. She wanted the best help available, and if her Superior Steve Barkin was miffed that she didn't alert fellow Rangers, well, so be it.

Within moments, her video call was answered.

"Riff?" Shego's greeting smile soon disappeared when she noticed the distressed expression upon her friend's face. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to ask for a favour?"

"Erm, because I need your help, Shay?"

"Doy." Shego rolled her vibrant green eyes, but her lips tugged into a smile again. "Where, what and why?"

"Poachers. At Beau Plains…"

"_Poachers?!_" Shego snapped as her gaze became intense. "Ooo, smack down time! Hang on, I'll find Mommy's Gardy, and be there as soon as I can. And Riff?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything stupid."

"_**Stupid!**_ What…" Riff exploded, but was quickly cut off by her bemused friend.

"Brave, heroic, whatever. I don't want to have to explain to your family that all that's left of you is a fine paste because you got yourself trampled by a Tauros herd. 'Kay?"

Breathing out a sound that was somewhere between a snarl and a sigh, Ranger Carter conceded. "OK. Fine. Just get your green butt here quickly."

* * *

"A-YEAAH!"

The mustached, mullet-haired man's gruff cry alarmed several Tauros nearest to him, the beasts sharply lifting their gaze to determine the threat.

"Let's go, Koffing! Seriously!"

Unleashed from Ed's Pokeball was a purple poison-gas Pokemon, spherical in shape and able to hover due to the gases contained within its body.

"Let's smoke these Tauros, totally! Use Smog!"

With a ludicrous grin plastered on its face, Koffing, no bigger than a basketball, drifted into action. Emitting thick, gaseous fumes from small craters all over its body, the poisonous Pokemon soon had the Tauros reeling in a cloud of smog.

"Think we have enough balls to snag 'em all, boss?" One of Motor Ed's assistants asked.

Watching his Koffing with pride, Ed was annoyed at the unnecessary question. "Duh! Seriously! We probably have twice as many as needed. Now start throwin' 'em!"

Having purchased the custom Pokeballs from a Black Market merchant, Ed was under the impression they would catch the Tauros with ease. But when his underlings started hurling the balls at their targets, the brawny blonde gaped in disbelief as each assumed-to-be-captured Tauros broke free from their Pokeball prison within seconds.

Before he had a chance to curse the none-too-reliable seller he had bought the faulty merchandise from however, Motor Ed watched in frustrated anger as several Tauros panicked, then causing the entire herd to begin running in the opposite direction due to the chain reaction.

"**Grrr**! After them! Seriously!"

* * *

The peace and quiet of the Beau Plains had been broken, as the solitary Pokemon resting amongst dense shrubbery pricked its ears up to determine the cause. A low rumble was becoming louder and closer, and it felt the earth beneath its paws tremble. Its head emerging tentatively from its hiding place, the young creature's yellow eyes grew wide in terrified horror as it realised the commotion was being caused by the herd of Tauros, now stampeding right towards it.

Not having any other option, the small beast turned around and sprinted for its life.

Miraculously, one pair of sharp human eyes spotted the fleeing creature, despite the distraction of the frenzied Tauros herd in their peripheral vision.

"Ron!" Kim gasped, pointing downwards. "What is that? It's going to be trampled!"

Ron focused his gaze, but could only determine a blue-ish blur from his perspective.

"I dunno, KP, but it's…"

Before his sentence could be completed, Kim had unceremoniously dumped her backpack, leapt over the edge of the ridge, and was sliding down the steep incline toward the plains below.

"Arrrggh! KP!" Ron fretted, unsure of what to do with himself. Noticing Charlie on the ridge's edge, about to copy Kim's heroics, Ron managed to break out of his panic-stricken haze to claim the small fire-lizard with both hands. "Sorry little buddy, don't think Kim would want you down there. It's too dangerous!"

"Mmm hmm," Rufus agreed, eyes fixed on the destructive, advancing herd. "Scary."

Charlie squirmed a little in Ron's grasp before letting escape a rather loud cry. "Charrr!"_ But Kim needs my help!_

Ron could only watch, hoping for the best. He doubted he could be any use if he went to join his friend, but he'd be ready to help her back up when the time came…

Rolling elegantly once she reached the plain's level ground so to stop in a crouched upright position, Kim only needed a moment to assess the situation before she raced off, toward the stampede, and toward the smaller Pokemon who was running ahead of the Tauros, and steadily losing ground.

Its legs ached, as did its overworked lungs, as it continued the almost mindless run for its life. The thunderous rumbling of dozens of Tauros hooves was descending upon it, as was an increasingly thick cloud of dust.

All hope seemed lost. There was nowhere to run but straight ahead, not that the creature could see very far ahead anymore. The Tauros were powerful, destructive behemoths compared to it. Surely it wouldn't survive if the herd caught up to it, as it no doubt would soon…

But suddenly the tiring creature was no longer running, it was airborne, being carried by something… or someone.

Kim had intercepted the small Pokemon from almost right beside it, and now, she raced on, desperately looking for a safe place to rest.

Dazed and relieved to no longer be running, the critter in Kim's arms didn't seem to care, at least for the moment, that it had been rescued by a human.

Fit and capable of running faster than the animal she had just saved, Kim managed to keep the distance between herself and the stampeding herd from lessening. But she couldn't keep this blistering pace up forever, and she couldn't climb up the incline separating ridge from plain as easily as she tumbled down. True, Ron was still up there, but he didn't have a rope or anything similar to aid her ascent…

As her mind went into overdrive, Kim's pace became slower, and the Tauros gained on her. Hearing the grunts and cries of the panicked herd becoming closer, Kim knew she had to act fast.

Spotting a rather large tree ahead, the hero altered her course slightly to aim for it. Clutching the trembling creature tightly to her chest as she lunged desperately, Kim managed to grasp an overhanging branch with her free hand. With one quick, fluid motion, she swung upward, landing upon the very same branch with steady feet. Letting out a shaky sigh of relief, Kim could only hope that the tree managed to withstand the Tauros herd crashing their way through.

With only moments to impact, Kim didn't have time to inspect the furry bundle in her grasp. Its head was tucked tightly into itself as it quaked slightly, but the human's focus was still on the rapidly approaching herd.

Gritting her teeth and solidly clenching a nearby limb of the tree with one hand for support, Kim was determined not to be dislodged, for both her sake and the sake of the creature she had rescued.

Imagine her startled surprise when a sudden blur of red, blue, green and black then appeared before Kim, blocking her view of the oncoming herd. The redheaded hero could hardly believe her fern green eyes: it was Shego, riding her Salamence. They were hovering in the air, just an arm's length away.

Judging by the facial expression the younger woman wore, Shego believed Kim was too dumbfounded to say anything. So she offered: "Need a hand, Pumpkin?"

Kim could only blink stupidly as she took Shego's outstretched hand. Sal grumbled as Kim's weight settled upon his back, but despite his misgivings, he promptly flew to safety, just as the Tauros herd went thundering past, and through, the tree that had been Kim's haven.

There wasn't much room on Sal's back, so Kim had to cling onto Shego with her free arm. Thankfully the uncomfortable flight was short, and the young hero soon found herself back upon Overview Ridge, breathing heavily, as Ron knelt beside her.

"Shego that was totally awesome! You are so badical!" Ron gushed, relieved his friend was alright but also ecstatic to be in the presence of the Grand Champion again.

Shego merely raised her sable eyebrows at the boy, before returning her attention to Kim. Shego, too, was kneeling, in front of Kim, knowing the younger female was alright, but concerned for the Pokemon tightly curled in her arms.

Charlie looked at the blue bundle quizzically; it still hadn't revealed its face despite having been safe and sound for several minutes now.

Sal was lying on his belly nearby, his red wings flat by his sides, a bored expression upon his face.

"The poor thing…" Kim finally whispered, glancing downward.

"It's safe now," Shego said simply. "Thanks to you," she then added, offering a half smile.

Kim raised her eyes. "Thanks… for helping us. You… and Sal, both, I mean."

Shego just shrugged, while Sal snorted.

After a moment, Kim thoughtfully added: "Why are you here anyway, Shego?"

"Hmmm. It is strange, how I keep bumping into you like this," the older female answered with a smirk, her piercing gaze causing Kim to blush a little. "But Riff called me, saying there were poachers after the Tauros herd… It was thanks to my mother's Gardevoir I could get here so quickly, using Teleport and all…"

"Poachers?" Kim's expression became one of disbelieving anger as she focused on that point in Shego's explanation. "They caused the stampede? Why would they be after the Tauros anyway?"

Shego shrugged again, although a spark of anger was evident in her eyes now also. "A number of reasons. Selling their meat on the Black Market, or the whole live Pokemon themselves, for battling, for breeding…"

Finally, the critter in Kim's arms deemed it safe enough to inspect its surroundings from its cosy position, and Kim immediately felt herself melt when she realised just how cute the creature was.

Large yellow eyes gazed up at her, questioning, but seeming aware that this was its saviour. It had big rounded ears, a tiny button nose, and was covered in soft blue fur.

"Hey, it's a Shinx!" Ron piped up excitedly. "Isn't it cute, Rufus?"

The Bidoof agreed, nodding its head, but deemed himself to be cuter.

To Kim, it was like an adorable little lion cub; a blue and yellow lion cub, anyway. Without realising, she hugged it closer, wanting the little Shinx to feel comforted and safe.

"I think it's a girl," Shego commented, reaching out to pat the Pokemon. "Its ruff is barely noticeable."

The female Shinx, its gender correctly guessed by Shego, cowered her head away from the approaching gloved hand.

"Huh. Guess it only likes you, Kimmie."

Charlie stepped closer, offering an inquisitive inspection and a comforting "Charmander? Char charrr." _'Are you scared of humans? Don't worry, Kim is kind. She'll take care of you.'_

Shinx gazed up at the human that had saved her life, and relaxed a little. It thought all humans were evil, but a fellow Pokemon had spoken in Kim's defense… Maybe not all humans were bad, after all…

…Unlike the poacher that Riff had apprehended. Sitting atop a blazing horse, she marched the defiant Motor Ed in front of her, his hands shackled in cuffs behind his back. At the first sign of trouble, his lackeys had fled, leaving Ed to take the sole blame for the failed poaching attempt.

"Hey Shay, look who I found."

Shego turned around to see the despicable man that was Motor Ed, infamous for his involvement in the Pokemon Black Markets.

Kim couldn't believe her eyes—on two accounts. She was tempted to exclaim both 'It's Motor Ed!' and 'That horse is on fire!' but opted to stay silent, lest she sound like an idiot.

"Well, well," Shego stood up, and slowly sauntered towards Ed, who was now grinning lecherously.

"Green babe! It was totally worth being caught if you're the one who gets to take me in. Seriously!"

"Seriously?" Shego repeated, mocking Ed's voice, before delivering a plasma-powered punch to the uncouth man's solar plexus.

Riff smiled at the proceedings, before turning her attention to the other people in the vicinity. "Oh, heya Kim. Wow… you have a Shinx! They're sooo cute!" She practically squealed.

Ron waved at the Pokemon Ranger, not wanting to be ignored, but Riff was focused on the adorableness of Shinx.

"Yeah, it nearly got trampled thanks to this jerk," Shego snarled at the still-reeling Ed. "Any Pokemon in his possession?"

"Just a Koffing," Riff answered.

"Probably stole it from some poor kid, didn't ya Eddie?" Shego taunted. "C'mon Riff, let's get this scumbag outta here."

Sal stood up and flew over to his Mistress, glaring at Ed menacingly. "Dude, even her dragon hates me. Seriously." The criminal muttered, mostly to himself.

"Later, Kimmie. I know you'll take good care of your new friend," Shego waved, as she glanced behind herself, over her shoulder, at Kim and Ron.

Kim smiled and waved back, still unable to believe this universe's Motor Ed was responsible for the stampede. Ron waved too, much more enthusiastically, completely oblivious that Shego's gaze was fixed entirely on Kim.

Riff lifted up her red Ranger cap and leaned back upon her blazing horse Pokemon, offering a corny: "Tally ho!" as a goodbye.

Shego made an over-exaggerated sound of disapproval before sighing, "Riff, you're such a dork."

Skitz, also sitting atop the fire horse's back, nodded in agreement with that sentiment.

After they departed, Kim turned to Ron and asked: "How can she sit on a horse that's on fire? How's it not burning her?"

But Ron was still waving, a dreamy expression plastered on his freckled face. "Goodbye… Shego… Riff… bye…"

Kim could only roll her eyes. "Mt. Discipline it is then. Wanna come with, little Shinx?"

Shinx offered a slight smile in reply, nodding her head once. Humans had taken her family, but a human had also saved her life… In her heart, Shinx knew it could trust Kim, and now, would be loyal to the kind-hearted human for life.

* * *

Next chapter: Kim reaches Mt. Discipline, but the Gym is closed. What's going on?


	9. Lacking Discipline

* * *

Hey all, sorry for the wait, but at least it wasn't as long this time! Thanks to all who read an review, and I hope you enjoy the latest installment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

"**Lacking Discipline"**

Sheldon Director had never been a patient man. And considering he was waiting on the arrival of an individual whose very presence would test even the _most_ patient and tolerant of people, that individual being the annoying, whiny madman known as Dr. Drakken, was good enough reason for Gemini to be sitting in his chair stiffly, his jaw equally stiff, as he grinded his teeth with growing anger.

To distract himself so he did not eventually clench his teeth into oblivion, Gemini glanced at a computer screen nearby, his one capable eye studying the imprisoned Pokemon the monitor displayed from a camera feedback within his own facility.

All captive Pokemon were due to be cloned; why go through the rigours of catching several of one species when you could just clone from the one specimen? One Pokemon in particular was the focus of Gemini's attention, however; the one captured during the recent expedition to Mount Freeze. And the mountain wasn't named so for nothing; any explorer worth their salt knew there was practically a never-ending gale-force blizzard raging there. But luckily Team Gemini's elite Pokemon catching agents were successful in their endeavours, the Pokemon snared from the frigid mountain's peak being a crucial component in their boss' plan.

_Lucky for them_, Gemini thought darkly, referring to his prime catching team. The villainous head of Team Gemini was not tolerant of failure, and many of his henchmen had learned this fact the hard way—and moments before their demise.

A sudden growl from Pepe, who had been dozing lazily on a lush cushion upon the floor near his Master's desk, alerted Gemini to the fact that a visitor was approaching.

Sure enough the electronic doors of Gemini's elaborate 'office' soon opened to reveal a guilty-looking Drakken, holding two mugs of what Gemini assumed to be 'cocoa-moo'.

_If he's late because he was brewing that damn concoction…_ Gemini raised his non-metallic hand to his creased brow in annoyance.

"Sorry I'm late, Gemini, sir… but I couldn't find the milk and…"

"Enough," Gemini sharply interrupted the babbling blue man. "Come over here, there's something I want you to see."

Drakken swallowed a lump of anxiety, unsure what the boss wanted to show him. He wasn't all that late, was he? Gemini didn't seem_ too_ mad…

The blue doctor's fears evaporated when he glanced at the computer screen, after placing the cocoa-moo carefully down upon Gemini's mahogany desk, of course.

"Tell me Drakken, do you recognise this Pokemon?"

Drakken squinted, studying the Pokemon that Gemini was indicating with a robotic finger. Dr. Drakken could tell that it was a captive Pokemon within the facility, recognising the special holding cells.

Eventually, the oddly blue-tinted man nodded, and vaguely answered: "I, uh, I think it's known as 'The Ice Monster'?"

To Drakken's relief, Gemini smiled slightly. "Yes. It's an Abomasnow. Causes a blizzard wherever it goes… it's also been referred to as 'The Abominable Snowman'."

"Well, it's not as endearing as Snowman Hank, that's for sure," the doctor muttered under his breath.

Unsure as to what Drakken was babbling about, and not really caring, Gemini simply ignored the statement. The boss then blindsided his employee with the question: "Tell me Drakken, what do you think would happen if you poured icy-cold water on a Slugma?"

Drakken hadn't seen the sudden change in topic coming. He blinked several times before finally sputtering: "I, um, ah… I guess… it would… evaporate… there would be… steam. And the Slugma… may be slowed down… for a little while."

Gemini nodded once. "Perhaps. But it would recover, and carry on, wouldn't it?" The leader of Team Gemini gazed intently at the Abomasnow on screen, and Drakken's confused shrug went unnoticed.

"But… what if the Slugma were to be placed in the middle of a blizzard? Be surrounded by snow, ice… and not allowed to escape. What would happen then?"

Drakken thought silently for a moment. He hated it went Gemini became cryptic like this. Mostly because, if an answer was deemed incorrect or inadequate by the boss…

Nervousness evident in his voice, the cobalt-coloured scientist attempted his answer: "Well, I… I believe it would… slow down… as its magma froze… and eventually, it would die?"

"Correct."

_Phew_. Drakken exhaled audibly, obviously relieved.

"That's why I plan to create an army of Abomasnow. My own, personal, travelling, portable blizzard monsters, heh…" Gemini's smarmy smile grew wider. "And if Shego shows up, she won't stand a chance."

Now, Drakken was confused once more. Raising his tiny gloved hand to his chin, he meekly said: "But… Shego isn't a Slugma, uh, sir?"

Gemini's single eye bored into Drakken's gaze, the boss obviously annoyed by the ridiculous statement. "No kidding." With a sigh, the super-villain stood up from his desk. "But my research indicates that her blood would undergo a similar change in the extreme cold as a Slugma's magma-covered body would…" Drakken's dark beady eyes grew rather wide at this revelation, "…because of those 'comet powers.' The plasma… it protects her from cold to a certain degree, but exposure to _extreme_ cold is another story altogether."

Drakken clapped his hands together with child-like excitement. "That is incredible, Gemini, sir! But… uh…"

Gemini raised an eyebrow at the impending question, causing Drakken to shrink a little, despite being taller than his boss.

"But… if you knew this, sir… why didn't you just ask me to create a freeze-ray or something?"

Gemini's scowl relaxed. "A freeze-ray could easily be destroyed," the boss began evenly, "but I doubt Shego would happily destroy a Pokemon. And believe it or not, the cloning procedure is more cost effective than it would be to produce a dozen or so freeze-ray guns, too."

"Ah… OK." Drakken nodded, before his mouth twisted into a sinister, toothy smile. "So, soon, we will be well and truly ready to take over the world! Mwahahahahahaaaa!"

_Again with that ridiculous laugh_. Gemini held up his natural hand, effectively halting Drakken mid-chortle. "Don't get too ahead of yourself there, _Drew_. I want to know how the mind control microchips are coming along."

"Sir, the _neural compliance chips_," Drakken preferred his title for them, "are coming along splendidly! In a few more weeks…"

"Ah, excellent." Gemini cut the doctor off again; Drakken's voice was rather irritating, after all. "Excellent." The boss and leader of the international crime syndicate that was Team Gemini then frowned darkly, his gaze becoming distant. "First thing's first, when those chips are ready, I'll be re-claiming what is rightfully mine."

Drakken quirked one half of his monobrow. "Uh, sir?"

With a short, humourless chuckle, Gemini focused on his employee once more. "She probably thinks I don't realise… that all those years ago… I know it was her. Sure, she was only a child, it was before that comet changed her… but I remember."

Gemini's sentences had degenerated into muttering as his gaze lowered, and Drakken had failed to hear his employer properly. "Uh, who?" The doctor dared to ask.

"SHEGO!" Gemini practically exploded, throwing his hands up in the air as his eyes rose to meet Drakken's again. "Who else?! On a trip to Dragon Cave, over a decade ago, she rescued a Bagon from the Pokemon we had captured!"

Spinning around so his back was now to the befuddled Drakken, Gemini clenched his robotic hand into a tight fist. His fury was obvious to Drakken, from both his body language and raised voice, and the scientist dared to ask no more questions.

"Her Salamence belongs to ME!"

* * *

"Please… I just… I can't…" An exaggerated wheeze was exhaled. "Not gonna… make it…"

Kim rolled her vibrant green eyes, placing her hands upon her hips. Ron was hunched over, almost crawling along the mountain path that led to Discipline's peak. Despite the ominous title, the mount was not high, nor was the terrain rough. After researching the archives stored on her Pokenav, Kim had learnt that the Mount Discipline name had more to do with the clan of ninjas that lived and trained upon the peaceful peak, and was not indicative of a tortuous climb; despite Ron's objections.

"OK Ron, we'll have lunch here."

Instantly Ron perked up, grabbing for his backpack with enthusiasm as he searched for the snackage within. Kim had sat down cross-legged upon a flat, grassy area near the mountain trail, and was now rummaging through her own backpack.

Rufus leapt down from his Master's shoulder, eager for his share of food. Charlie was more subtle than the hungry Bidoof, though, sitting patiently by Kim's side.

Satisfied she had enough sustenance for all, Kim then pulled the two Pokeballs housing Carnivine and Shinx respectively from one of the pockets of her cream-coloured cargo pants.

"Come on out guys, time for lunch!"

Carnivine twirled happily upon being released from his ball, and Kim didn't know whether he was just glad to be outside the remarkable device that was his part-time home, or whether he was just a serial show-off.

Shinx, in contrast to the extroverted plant, looked around warily with wide eyes, before hiding behind Kim, the only human it trusted.

With a sigh, the redhead reached carefully behind herself. "It's alright, sweetie." As gently as she could, Kim gingerly pulled the Shinx so it would be at the human's side instead of behind her.

After their initial meeting, when Kim had been able to briefly study the Shinx more—when it wasn't curled up into a tight, defensive ball, that is—she learned that only the front half of its body was covered in bright blue fur. The hindquarters were dressed in a dark grey fur, and there was also a dark grey ruff of fur encircling the Shinx's neck, like the beginning of a mane. Just above each of its forepaws was a golden ring of fur, and the tip of its tail was a star-shaped tuft of that same golden-coloured hair. Its enormous yellow eyes were expressive and soulful, and Kim found herself loving the little Shinx more and more every time she looked into them.

"Y'know, I was thinking," Kim quietly began, speaking to her Pokemon companions as well as Ron, who was blissfully shoveling food into his face, "It's not fair that only Charlie has a nickname. I should name you guys-" she patted the Shinx and looked up at Carnivine, "-too."

Ron replied with "Mmf, mmff a mmd mma," which roughly translated to "That's a good idea."

"Hey, wait," Kim looked pointedly at Ron as she suddenly realised something, "where's Magikarp? You're not letting him out?"

After swallowing a large mouthful, Ron chuckled good-naturedly. "Yeah, KP, he kinda needs water to be in."

Kim, highly intelligent daughter of a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon, could not believe her momentary stupidity. "Oh. Right. Of course…" Running a hand through her long, light-auburn locks, she then tried to save face with: "Well, I just thought, y'know, you didn't seem happy when you caught it… thought you might be… neglecting it a little?"

Ron paused mid-bite to sigh heavily. "Well it is kinda… useless. I mean, look it up in your Pokenav, under: 'Magikarp, the Most Pathetic Pokemon of All.'"

"Ron!"

"OK, OK," Ron held up a hand, ready to defend himself. "Maybe it's not _completely_ useless. I hear it tastes pretty nice grilled."

"RON!" This time, Kim scolded louder than before. "That's terrible! What if he can hear you from his Pokeball? And, we're eating, by the way!" She then made a disgusted face, looking at her harmless meat-free sandwich with disdain.

"Relax KP, I was joking!" Ron chuckled nervously, before resuming his overly-enthusiastic eating ritual.

"Still…" Kim muttered under her breath, glancing downward to her Shinx, who was now tentatively eating the food she had prepared for it. Stroking the leonine Pokemon's head again, Kim then let out a fond sigh. "So, like I was saying _**before**_… you're like a little lion cub… and you're a girl. I think I'll call you Nala."

"Mmmmff?"

Kim's eyes rose to meet Ron's at his questioning sound. After swallowing again, he began: "But, KP, Nala was a Delcatty."

"Huh?" was all the redhead could manage in reply.

"Y'know, in the movie, 'The Luxray King'… Simba was a Luxray, yeah, but Nala was a Delcatty."

Green eyes simply stared at him.

"But, hey, y'know, Nala is a great name!" The blonde then added quickly, growing nervous under Kim's intent and confused gaze.

"Yeah…" the young woman finally replied, distractedly. Kim then turned her attention to Carnivine, who was hovering nearby, already finished his meal. "You though… I've got no idea what to call you." She smiled at the plant-monster, and Carnivine smiled his ludicrous smile back.

After a brief silence, Ron randomly piped up: "Petey."

Again, Kim could only manage: "Huh?"

Her male companion shrugged, as he studied Carnivine with contemplative eyes. "Dunno. It just suits him. He looks like a Petey."

"O-kaaay." Leaf green eyes turned back to plant-beast. "Do you like it?"

Carnivine, or 'Petey', twirled once, which Kim deciphered as a 'yes'.

"Booyah! Score one for the Ron-Man!" Ron pumped his fist in the air, a gesture which Rufus somewhat mimicked.

With a chuckle, Kim said: "Geez, Ron. Carnivine seems pretty happy no matter what, he probably would have agreed to anything. Don't get too excited."

Ron stuck out his lower lip in a sulking display, to which Kim playfully teased: "And are you gonna give Magikarp a nickname?"

The blonde boy narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before answering: "Meh. You can name it. I named Petey."

Kim sighed, somewhat distraught for Magikarp, as Ron seemed to have little interest in him. Growing a smirk, she finally suggested: "How about Gill?"

Instantly, Ron frowned. "Woah. Lame pun, KP."

_Guess he's never been to Camp Wannaweep then… that's probably a good thing_. "Well, it makes more sense than calling Carnivine 'Petey'."

Hearing his new name spoken again, Petey twirled in the air, waving his leaf-like arms for extra effect.

Charlie sat next to Kim still, having had his fill of lunch, now listening to the humans' conversation with a bemused expression upon his youthful lizard-like face.

After Ron's only reply to Kim's statement was a rather loud and abrupt burp, the young woman decided it was time to move on. Standing up, she dusted herself off before commenting: "Come on, we should probably get going if we want to reach the top before dusk." Glancing around at Petey and then Nala, Kim thoughtfully added "You guys wanna stay out for a while, enjoy the scenery? Hike with us…" She looked pointedly at the levitating Carnivine, "or, um… float with us."

Petey nodded his large, oval-shaped head with vigour, but Nala agreed far more subtly, ever so lightly grazing Kim's lower legs in an affectionate nuzzle.

Charlie sprang to his feet, pleased to have some playmates when the group continued their climb.

Soon enough, the lunch area was cleared and the journey to Mount Discipline's summit was resumed. Charlie would encourage Nala to chase after Rufus, when the Bidoof would occasionally climb down from the Fort of Ron that is, and Petey floated around contentedly, watching his fellow Pokemon play, or drift near the edge of the trail to admire the scenic views.

Along the way, less than an hour from reaching their destination, Kim noticed a cave opening in the side of the mountain. Ron kept on walking, oblivious, chatting away to the other Pokemon about past anecdotes with Rufus, but Kim stopped momentarily.

The redheaded hero knew this wasn't her intended destination, but couldn't help but briefly investigating the cavern entrance. Small sketches, depicting what Kim believed to be Pokemon, accompanied by writing in a language she didn't understand, adorned all sides of the opening. The etched figures and words appeared ancient; faded and corroded. Perhaps as old as the mountain itself?

After a short, but lingering study of this mountainside mystery, Kim then trotted off, her mind returning to the focus of the gym challenge ahead.

* * *

"Aw man," Ron scratched his head, his expression one of confusion mixed with disappointment. "I can't believe it's closed. It's Saturday, it should be open! It **is** still Saturday, right?"

Kim sighed, also feeling dejected by the 'CLOSED' sign hanging on one of the front windows of Mount Discipline's Gym. "Yes, Ron. It's still Saturday."

Having reached the small settlement snugly enclosed upon the flat higher reaches of Mount Discipline, Kim was amazed by how quiet the village was. There were a handful of modestly-sized Oriental-style homes—the mountain's peak was residence to a clan of ninjas, after all—and the Pokemon Centre, not to mention the Gym itself were charming in their Japanese architectural design too. But there seemed to be no one around; no humans, no Pokemon.

With another sigh, Kim turned in the direction of the humble, Eastern-style Pokemon Centre—they probably practiced Eastern medicine to aid the injured and unwell Pokemon too, Kim presumed—intent on heading there next, for answers or for rest. That is, until, her attention was drawn immediately back toward the Gym's entrance, as a young Asian woman, her face tight with worry, exited hurriedly through the establishment's front door.

She stopped short before almost bumping directly into Kim and Ron, glancing upward with dark eyes, which were warm, but also worried.

Kim tried not to look too surprised as she recognised the young woman to be Yori, the Yamanouchi ninja. Ron's face became the bearer of a goofy smile as he recognised the young woman to be 'a hot Asian babe'.

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" The rushing woman apologised, with utmost sincerity. "I was not watching where I was walking."

Ron stepped forward, offering a hand. "S'OK, no one was hurt. I'm Ron, Ron Stoppable. And you are…?"

The Japanese girl stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before answering: "I am Yori. The Gym Leader, currently, for the Mount Discipline Gym." Her dark brown, almost black eyes shifted from Ron to Kim and back several times, also noting their companion Pokemon. "I trust you are here to challenge this gym?"

"Er, I am," Kim finally managed, raising her hand a little. Ron awkwardly lowered his outstretched hand, feeling a tad foolish. Noticing Yori's somewhat distracted demeanour, Kim then asked: "So why is the gym closed?"

Yori exhaled deeply, lowering her head a little, lustrous strands of black hair falling forward. "I am sorry I cannot accept your challenge at this time, Miss…"

"Possible." Kim smiled warmly. "Kim Possible."

"Miss Possible," Yori then finished, smiling slightly for a brief moment. "But there has been an emergency at the cave further down the mountain… I'm sure you saw it during your climb here?"

"Yeah," Kim answered immediately, remembering the intriguing glyphs that were etched into the mountainside. Ron, however, only looked puzzled.

Yori nodded in reply to Kim's answer. "Two of my fellow ninjas went to investigate, but they have not returned yet. I must go and search for them, and hopefully, stop the artifact that rests there from being stolen, if it has not been already."

"Woah, artifact? Being stolen?" Ron seemed excited, but Kim was hoping to right any injustice that may have occurred.

"Who's after it? Why?" The redhead asked the ninja. Seeing the reluctance and uncertainty in Yori's eyes, Kim then added, as sincerely as she could, "We want to help—let us come with you."

Yori studied Kim's fern green eyes. The visitor seemed truly sincere; her Pokemon appeared healthy, well-looked after, and eager to back their Master. The ninja then remembered her Sensei's words, regarding instinct and intuition…

"Alright," Yori finally conceded, judging Kim, and by association, Ron, to be genuine with their offer of help. "But we must hurry… Mankey Fist may have already left with the sacred gemstone!"

The ninja then sprinted off, assuming the pair of travelers would follow. Kim, however, stumbled on her first step, almost falling face-first onto the dirt covered ground.

_Did she say… __**Mankey**__ Fist?_

* * *

Horrid images of Josh Mankey half-morphed into a simian mutant were soon banished from the imaginative mind of Kim Possible as it became apparent, from Yori's explanations, that Mankey Fist was indeed former British gentleman Lord Montgomery Fiske.

"Our ninja clan do not only inhabit Mount Discipline to train and run the gym," Yori spoke evenly, despite jogging at a steady pace as she led the way down the mountainside, "we are also sworn to protect a sacred treasure that rests nearby; our clan has done so for generations."

Kim, listening as she ran too, nodded in understanding. Charlie was being carried upon her shoulders, as although he was fast for a bipedal lizard, he did not have the speed of a quadruped like a Shinx, or the ability to float like a Carnivine. Ron, of course, lagged behind, but was still within earshot.

"It is known as the Topaz of Knowledge. It is believed to have been left behind by a Pokemon spoken in legends, many years ago, when the world was first created. It is also said to possess mystical, or magical properties…" The determined ninja scowled. "If it were to fall into the wrong hands…"

"We won't let that happen," Kim reassured, as they reached the cavern entrance, just as the sun was beginning to set.

"Thank you, Possible-san," Yori bowed quickly as she paused at the cavern opening. "And you too, Stoppable-san," she added when the blonde caught up.

"No… -huff- problem! -puff-"

Despite the urgency of the situation, Yori allowed herself a short amused smile at Ron's eagerness to help despite his obvious lack of fitness.

As she led the pair of travelers into the dim cave, Yori began another elucidation. "An enchantment was placed over the cavern itself," she waved a hand around, and Kim noticed there were no less than five different exits from the initial room of the grotto. "If you do not go the correct way, you will ultimately end up back here, at the beginning."

"Woah, cool trick," Ron commented, inspecting the five identical exits from their position in the centre of the room.

"Mm-hmm. Tricky," Rufus agreed, from his safe position upon the blonde boy's shoulder.

"To keep guys like… _Mankey _Fist out?" Kim asked, after almost calling the fallen English lord by the wrong name.

"Yes." Yori sighed and bowed her head. "Which is why I am surprised he was reported to be within the inner depths of the cavern. He must have obtained the information from somewhere… but I do not know where."

"Don't worry, we'll catch this guy!" Ron exclaimed with renewed energy, punching his right fist into his left palm. He was about to race toward the nearest exit when he realised… "Uh, which way do we go, again?"

With a small smile, Yori moved toward a different exit. "All of our clan know the correct way… please follow me."

Within a matter of moments, after winding through at least four different but confusingly similar cavern rooms, Yori, accompanied by Kim, Ron, and their Pokemon, arrived at their destination.

There was an altar of stone placed in the centre of this final room, and there stood Montgomery Fiske, grasping the precious yellow gemstone in his hand. Surrounded by five accomplice Pokemon, the Englishman obsessed with all things simian slowly turned around upon hearing rushed footsteps approaching from behind.

"Put the Topaz back, Mankey Fist!" Yori demanded, growing visibly angry. She then noticed her fallen comrades, bound and gagged in a far corner, and gasped. They were highly trained ninjas; how did Fiske defeat them so easily?

Kim gasped too, but for an entirely different reason to the female ninja. The hero was used to seeing Lord Fiske with the mutated hands and feet of a monkey, but _this_ Lord Fiske… his hands and feet were not the same as what Kim was accustomed to. He seemed to have gold plates attached to the back of his hands, appearing like gauntlets. Dark grey fur then covered Montgomery's fingers, as well as his toes, although the upper section of his feet were adorned by a contrasting white fur.

Letting her keen gaze shift, Kim realised that the man's altered appendages matched those of one of his Pokemon; a roughly four-foot high monkey, with white and brown body fur, dark-furred digits, gold-plated hand and knee gauntlets… and a fire burning from atop its head.

The four remaining Pokemon accompanying Fiske appeared to be monkeys, too, but were less obvious in their relation. There were two pairs of the same Pokemon, and the different pairs appeared similar in appearance to the other, too. One pair were smaller, no taller than two feet high, covered in white fur except for their extremities, such as their feet, paws and the tip of their tail, which were light brown in colour. Oddly, though, its nose resembled that of a pig's.Their eyes were red, staring angrily at the intruding group disrupting their Master's plans.

The second pair were larger, but appeared very alike to the first, with the white/brown fur combination and porcine nose. Their feet and hands were less defined, though, with no discernable fingers, but rather, one clumped fist, like they were wearing boxing gloves. They sported black bands on their wrists and ankles.

"Ah, it certainly took you long enough, girl," Fiske began in a smug voice as he casually twirled the Topaz of Knowledge within two altered fingers. "And who are your friends?"

Kim glared angrily at the relaxed, self-satisfied demeanour of Lord Fiske, clenching her fists at her sides. Charlie, upon the ground now, imitated his Master's stance, frowning and flexing his claws.

Ron had grown pale as porcelain, frozen in terror. "M-M-Mankeys… a-a-and Primeapes…" Rufus waved a paw in front of his human friend's face, but to no avail. "AND AN INFERNAPE! GA-AHH THE HORROR!" The phobic blonde then ducked behind Kim and Yori, trembling and gibbering incoherently.

Yori was wide-eyed. "He… is not fond of those Pokemon?" She queried.

"I… guess not," Kim replied, before returning her attention to her own Pokemon. "We can handle this though, right guys?"

"Charr!" Charlie concurred. Petey nodded, and even Nala took a bold step forward eager to help Kim, electricity pulsing from the Shinx's forepaws.

"Do not forget about us," Yori reminded, before pulling a Pokeball out from within a hidden chest pocket on her jet-black gi. "I require your assistance, Ninjask."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kim saw a flying bug Pokemon manifest. Closest relation from her home world probably being the cicada, Kim momentarily freaked out, at least internally, due to the size of Yori's helper. It was approximately as large as a human torso, wings included. _Why do Bug Pokemon have to be so big? Gah._

It had red eyes, a golden mask and a black and yellow body. Its wings buzzed at supersonic speed, creating a high-pitched humming sound, and it flitted around so quickly it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

But Lord Montgomery Fiske was not impressed. "Is that all the Pokemon you have? Oh dear." Turning his head to the side and clucking his tongue in mock pity, Mankey Fist then ordered his charges: "Attack!"

With alarming speed and fury, the Englishman's five Pokemon cohorts lunged forward. Kim expected them to engage the opposing Pokemon, namely, her three and Yori's Ninjask, and was thus quite taken aback when one of the bulkier pairs of white-furred pig-monkeys, a Primeape, targeted her.

Managing to dodge the beast's uppercut, then block a second powerful punch, Kim responded by kicking out at the Primeape, sending it skidding backwards. She felt uneasy about physically fighting Pokemon herself, not wanting to hurt them, but if it was the way Fiske wanted to play…

Rolling past another frenzied attack from her pig-monkey opponent, the agile hero noticed that Lord Fiske had engaged Yori, the Japanese girl's Ninjask was causing headaches for the second Primeape, Charlie and Nala were battling a Mankey each respectively, leaving Petey to deal with the Infernape, as Ron was trembling in a far corner, avoiding the fracas. Rufus was with him still, despite being braver than his human Master. The Bidoof simply knew he stood no chance against such an array of strong Fighting-type Pokemon.

Back-flipping away from a chop aimed at her neck, Yori, noticing the goings-on as Kim did, shouted: "The Carnivine needs help, Ninjask! Be careful of any Fire attacks!"

Petey was, indeed, not faring very well. Infernape was fast, nimble and proficient with Fire attacks; not something a Carnivine, being a Grass-type, welcomed with open leafy arms.

Ninjask, having left its Primeape opponent reeling in dizziness by simply being too fast for it, zoomed toward the pair just as Petey received a flaming Fire Punch to the face.

Out-maneuvering her Primeape's attacks with relative ease now that she had witnessed its fighting pattern, Kim managed to witness her jovial plant friend get clobbered.

"Petey!" Kim yelled, worry and anger building. She managed to place a kick just below her combatant's knee—not too hard, just enough to incapacitate it for now—before flipping gracefully over to land in front of her Carnivine protectively, as she eyed off the fiery-headed Infernape.

"Ouch. Poor Petey," Ron commiserated, watching through the gaps between his fingers, his hands covering his face.

"Uh huh. Face burn," Rufus agreed.

The not-so-brave young man then noticed little Nala growing tired, her opponent still energetic. The Shinx gave a full-bodied electrified tackle, knocking the Mankey back and stunning it briefly, but it soon countered with a swift Karate Chop, and Nala collapsed to the ground.

Charlie was the closest to the fallen Shinx, but was still fending off his own Mankey, embers spraying relentlessly from the fire-lizards' mouth.

Concern for poor, sweet little Nala soon overpowered Ron's fear of all Pokemon resembling monkeys, and the lad rushed in with a flying sideways kick, exclaiming a jubilant "BOOYAH!" in the process.

Shoe connected with Mankey, sending the critter airborne, until it crashed into the nearest cavern wall.

"Ha! Take that, freaky fur face!" Ron pumped his fist triumphantly, before kneeling down to inspect Nala.

The Shinx lifted her head to signal she was alright, offering Ron a shy, but grateful smile. Charlie rushed over, having singed his opponent into retreating, and gazed up at Ron with an incredulous look, as if to say '_What took you so long?_'

"Your friends are better than I expected, _ninja_," Fiske spat the last word, as he doubled back from a ninjitsu assault.

Yori, still coming at the frustrated Mankey Fist with strong, sharp, swift attacks, merely smiled in return, infuriating the Englishman more so.

The female ninja's capable Pokemon was at that time flitting around Infernape's head rapidly, distracting it, as Kim engaged it in hand-to-hand combat. Occasionally, Ninjask would also manage a swipe at the flame monkey Pokemon, and soon, the Infernape was overwhelmed, collapsing against a nearby rock, passing out into unconsciousness.

Kim eyed her latest opponent with concern for a moment, not wanting it to be too hurt. Judging its injuries as none too serious—it probably passed out from a headache induced by the sound of Ninjask's wings, all things considered—the redhead then hurried over to her own fallen charge.

"You OK, Petey?"

The Carnivine nodded his large head, still smiling. He was groggy and his face felt a little burnt, but he knew he would recover.

Kim smiled, breathing out a sigh of relief. Her leaf green eyes then gazed back up just in time to witness Ninjask zip off again, back towards its Master.

Lord Montgomery Fiske was certainly pre-occupied, and did not expect a set of sharp bug teeth to suddenly penetrate the back of his neck. With a startled yell, he jerked forward, allowing Yori to land the knockout blow, using a graceful high jump kick to send the mutant hybrid flying backwards until he crashed head first into a rocky cavern wall, rendering him unconscious.

"Thank you, Ninjask," Yori exhaled, a smile now forming, as she relaxed her ninjitsu stance.

"Yeah, thanks Ninjask," Kim, also smiling now, walked over to the ninja and her Pokemon. "Thanks for helping Petey out back there." It felt odd thanking an over-sized bug, but Kim was grateful nonetheless.

Ninjask appeared to bow, as much as a flying insect could manage anyway, and Kim laughed lightly at the display.

"And I must thank you, Possible-san," Yori focused her attention to the fellow female now. "This victory would have not been likely without you." The ninja's grin broadened. "I certainly didn't expect you to be so proficient in the martial arts!"

Kim fought back a blush. "It was no big. As long as we get that Topaz back, right?"

"Yes." Yori's attractive face became solemn, her eyes finding Fiske's unconscious form. As she moved to retrieve the sacred gem, Kim ran over to Yori's bound comrades.

Ron rushed over, Charlie and Nala in tow, to help his friend in untying the captive ninjas.

"Thank you," the first spoke as his gag was removed. They were both young males, dressed in black gis as Yori was; but there didn't appear to be any Pokemon with them. "We have fought Fiske before. We did not expect his Pokemon to have advanced so much…"

The other now-free ninja agreed. "We were foolish. We should have brought our Pokemon along with us."

Yori, having placed the Topaz of Knowledge back upon its sacred stone altar, joined her clansmen. "It is not your fault. His Pokemon…" she glanced back at Fiske, "were extraordinary. They were nowhere near this level last time we encountered him. His Infernape was still a Monferno, in fact."

Despite her gentle, encouraging words, the two young men bowed their heads, seemingly in shame.

"Do not worry." Yori smiled again. "Come, let us return home. Tonight we shall hold a small feast in the honour of Possible-san and Stoppable-san, our new allies."

At this, Ron beamed. "Alright, free food!"

"Booyah!" Rufus squeaked in agreement.

Kim's gaze was focused on Lord Fiske, however. "What's gonna happen to him?"

Yori moved to stand alongside the contemplative redhead. "We will turn him over to Global Justice. He is wanted for many crimes."

Kim's auburn eyebrows shot upwards at the mention of the international crime-fighting agency that was known colloquially as GJ. But she didn't react verbally. Instead, she asked: "What about his Pokemon?"

The female ninja sighed, sensing the worry in the caring redhead's voice. "Do not worry. All Pokemon that lose their Masters… whether from them going to prison, or even to death… are rehabilitated at the Pokemon Re-Homing and Daycare Centre, which is further north from here. They are matched to suitable owners, or, if possible, sometimes released back into the wild."

"Oh… OK." Kim smiled down at Charlie and Nala, who were now practically on top of her feet, and sighed. "So, Yori… up for a gym challenger tomorrow?"

At this, the ninja and Gym Leader of Mount Discipline smiled brightly. "It would be my honour, Possible-san."

* * *

The sun had long set when yellow eyes finally emerged from the darkness. It had waited, patiently, for those humans to leave, carting the failure that was Fiske with them. It had followed Fiske, just as it had been ordered to do, and remained hidden, out of sight, in case Fiske was not successful, just as it had been ordered to do.

Now, the fanged, flying-scorpion Pokemon that was Gliscor drifted over to the stone altar where the Topaz of Knowledge once more rested.

Carefully plucking the precious, mystical gemstone from its altar with one of its large, powerful pincers, Gliscor then soared hastily back toward the cavern's entrance. After successfully navigating the maze as it had memorised the correct route earlier, the large, intimidating vampire bat-like Pokemon then sped off into the blackness of night.

_Master will be pleased_.

* * *

Next chapter: Kim VS Yori, of course.


	10. Shedding Light

**CHAPTER 10**

"**Shedding Light"**

The wooden ceiling panels of the Mount Discipline Pokemon Centre's roof had been the focus of Kim Possible's eyesight for quite some time. She lay upon her back, still rather awake, despite experiencing a hearty meal earlier, not to mention the fact that it was well after midnight.

The young hero's thoughts were scattered and troubled, but not overly so regarding the latter. Kim replayed mentally the battle against Mankey Fist, unable to stop a soft smile forming as she recalled how bravely and keenly her Pokemon had fought. She then thought of the dinner afterwards, scrumptious and traditionally Japanese as it was, and the additional information Yori, ninja and Mount Discipline Gym Leader, had revealed.

Apparently, there were two sacred gemstones alike the Topaz of Knowledge; the three jewels formed a set, but they were purposefully separated and placed carefully in different corners of the globe for reasons that Yori was not entirely sure of. The ninja admitted her Sensei most likely held more knowledge on the subject, but informed she did know that the three precious stones were related to powerful Pokemon spoken of in myths and legends.

Another treasure too, according to Yori's words, was linked to the trio of mystical jewels. A musical instrument of some sort, most commonly believed to be a flute, was said to possess magic, but could only be activated by the similar mystical powers of the three gems. Most amazingly, or so Kim thought when she had heard the tale, this sacred instrument was supposed to rest upon a mountaintop near the Ninja Training School where Yori's Sensei still taught, in the Japanese countryside.

A soft snore sounding from the sleeping mat across the tiny, Spartan room brought Kim's mind back to the present, and she turned her head and smiled to herself in the darkness. Ron had certainly enjoyed their meal that night, and not just because of the free food. The blonde seemed to be quite smitten with Yori, despite knowing her less than a day; although, admittedly, it didn't seem to take much more than a pretty face to render Ron smitten. And the Japanese girl appeared flattered by his attention, even laughed at some of his jokes. Perhaps she returned the attraction?

Interestingly, the notion did not seem to bother Kim. Despite the face this wasn't 'her' Ron per se, if it were, she believed she would be relatively mellow toward the idea of him finding someone new. Someone decent like Yori, at least. The redhead doubted she would remain mellow if he decided to hook up with the likes of Bonnie!

It had been a while now since they had broken up, and judging by her reactions to the night's revelations, it had been the right step to make. Kim loved Ron, but it was a safe, comfortable feeling; it was familial, like they were almost siblings.

Kim sighed softly to herself. _And what's wrong with that? Just because I'm a girl and he's a guy doesn't mean we're destined to be more than friends. I've known him forever… longer than I've known the Tweebs. Trying to make a go of things romantically was OK at first… even fun… but eventually it just got too… awkweird._

Kim was still young and idealistic enough to believe in what romance should truly be like; passionate, crazy, where just thinking of your special one caused your breath to hitch and your heart to beat that much faster. But, as much as she wished it so sometimes, it just wasn't like that with Ron. _Not that there's anything wrong with him… he's a great, sweet guy._

With another sigh, Kim closed her eyes, willing her wandering mind to rest. Thoughts of 'her' Ron led inevitably to thoughts of home, her parents… she missed them all terribly and wished she could communicate with them, but knew any working replica of the PDVI could still be months away. True, Ron's suggestion of embarking on a Pokemon journey to distract her from her homesickness had been a brilliant idea. There was so much to see here, to learn, to do. And new friends to make, like Charlie, Petey and Nala, for instance.

Sharp green eyes focused on the small figure curled up on a pillow just next to her sleeping mat, and Kim grinned fondly. Charlie was sound asleep, clutching his tail tightly into himself, so as to not accidentally set anything alight.

In quiet moments of reflection, such as this, Kim began to worry at just how attached she had become to her Pokemon. Eventually, she hoped, she would return home… leaving them behind. It was not fathomable to bring them to her own dimension, since creatures such as they did not exist there. She knew her counterpart, hopefully safely returned when Kim found her own way home, would look after them as adequately as she did, but the foreign Kim could not quell the growing empty felling that manifested whenever she thought of saying goodbye to Charlie and the others.

_Man… why do I keep thinking of such depressing things? This is no way to go to sleep when you have a gym battle tomorrow. Pull yourself together, Possible!_

Making a small sound of disparagement at herself, Kim then steeled herself to only think productively. Wondering about a battle strategy for the upcoming challenge against Yori was first on the agenda, with contemplating what other Pokemon she might have, aside from Ninjask. Would Yori's other Pokemon be similar to the golden-masked flying ninja bug, or vastly different? True, Gyms usually kept a Type theme, but there were many other Bug Pokemon, as well as Flying Pokemon; and quite a few that were Bug **and **Flying types, just like Ninjask. Kim had tried to learn as much as possible from her Pokenav in the brief amount of time she had to study Pokemon since she had acquired the device. She began trying to recall other Bug/Flying hybrids that might have to be faced in battle on the morrow.

_Beedrill… those vicious bee-things that attacked me and Riff when I first met her… Yanma, a big red dragonfly with even bigger eyes… _

The tiring redhead let out a muffled yawn, placing her hand over her mouth.

_Beautifly… looks pretty but is actually quite nasty…Speaking of nasty, there's also Vespiquen. Aww, but Combees are so cute! Maybe even Riff would like them…_

Thoughts of the bug-phobic Ranger eventually led to thoughts of Shego, and Kim frowned slightly. _Why can't Shego still be a hero in my world? I mean, I know her brothers are annoying, but hey, so are mine… and she has no dragon companion there to fly around on… not that Sal would be her only Pokemon. She is the Grand Champion, after all. I wonder what other Pokemon she has? What would Shego like? Other flying ones, like Sal? But she'd have a well-balanced team, for sure… _

A sigh escaped soft, pink lips. Pondering Shego's Pokemon helped to distract Kim from her real dilemma regarding the green woman. Namely, why, in a world where everyone appeared so similar to their counterparts in her home dimension, was Shego different? Well, no… 'different' wasn't the right word… she was certainly still very… Shego-ish. But… not a criminal. Not a villain. More even-tempered and generally more sociable… although Kim didn't know how much of that was for show considering Shego's position as Grand Champion.

There was some explanation as to why… there had to be. Kim just didn't know the answer yet. Shego the enigma… _She just __**had**__ to be different from everyone else didn't she? If I can't define her by being a villain and criminal, then how? Who is she, __**really**__?_

Her eyelids growing heavy, Kim sighed for a final time before the weary hero drifted off to sleep, her final conscious thought also manifesting in a frustrated whisper: "_Dammit, _Shego…"

* * *

"Dammit," Shego raised her right hand carefully, not wanting any sudden movement to rouse the sleeping Pokemon resting between her left shoulder and neck, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I am sorry to bring you such troubling news at this late hour, Shego-san," Yori apologised, appearing tired, but a little flushed also. She had contacted the green-skinned Grand Champion not long after Kim and Ron had retired to bed, wishing to inform of Fiske's attempt at the Topaz heist via video link to Shego's Pokenav.

"Nah, it's fine," Shego yawned, reclining a little upon her seat in the Go Manor lounge room. "The important thing is that Freaky Furry Fiske didn't make off with the Topaz, right?"

"That he did not, I assure you," Yori bowed her head, adding weight to her statement. "But… do you think…"

"That Fiske was working for Gemini?" Shego snorted. "Uh huh. Seems ol' one-eye is recruiting other villains left and right nowadays."

"But why?"

"Mmm, guess he's hatching something pretty big." Green eyes narrowed, and a sigh escaped Shego's lips. "At least, he's trying to."

Yori's expression became solemn. "He will be after the two other jewels then?"

"Most likely." Another sigh, and the green woman shut her eyes for a fleeting moment. _Damn that power-hungry moron_. Gemini had been a proverbial thorn in Team Go's side practically ever since the siblings had become active superheroes. What troubled Shego at this time, though, was the sheer scale of Mr. Sheldon Director's latest scheme. "I'll inform those responsible for the other gems in France and Australia to be extra vigilant. Don't worry, pudgy won't be getting his grubby hand on either of them."

At this, the ninja formed a small smile. The Grand Champion had a certain way of insulting people that always managed to amuse the Japanese girl.

"I did have some help in apprehending Fiske… a girl wanting to challenge my Gym. Her fighting skills are almost as good as yours!"

A dark eyebrow shot upwards. "Oh really? Somehow, I doubt it."

Yori giggled. "I do not mean to dent your pride, Shego-san. But she did fight exceptionally well. And her Pokemon adore her…" Shego couldn't help but smirk at Yori's growing blush as the ninja finally added: "And her male friend was most eager to help too."

"Uh huh. Gonna ask him to the annual League Ball then, are ya?" Shego asked as she held out her right hand, casually inspecting her fingernails.

Yori blushed deeper. "Goodness, no! I have only just met him! And the Ball is still several months away…"

Shego shrugged non-chalantly in reply. "I'm just sayin'. Guys don't often capture your attention…"

"Speak for yourself, Shego-san." The ninja managed to control her blush enough to smirk effectively. "I doubt you will be taking anyone special to this year's Ball?"

"Hey, Sal can be my date. I'm sure he'd look dashing in a tuxedo."

The Japanese girl giggled again, before focusing her gaze upon the small Pokemon that slept soundly against the crook of Shego's neck. "I must say, Panasonic-san certainly looks comfortable."

Shego rolled her emerald green eyes. "Yeah, but what about _**my**_ comfort? My neck is getting stiff."

Panasonic, as the Pokemon in question was named, began to hum softly in its sleep; the tune sounded much like the theme of 'The Simpsons'.

"Oh yeah, definitely been watching too much TV," Shego light-heartedly scolded her slumbering friend.

"Well, I should let you get some sleep too, Shego-san," Yori began, before yawning herself, the ninja now beginning to feel the fatigue from her skirmish against Fiske earlier. "And I better too… I have a Gym battle tomorrow. And I believe my opponent will not be easy to overcome!"

"Well, good luck then," Shego quietly said, before yawning yet again. With a smirk, she added "Seems like you'll need it," before pressing a button on her Pokenav to end the communication.

Stiffly lowering the Pokenav onto her lap with her left hand, Shego whispered: "Hey Pans, wake up. I wanna go to bed."

Panasonic responded by drowsily humming the western theme of 'Bonanza'.

Now seated in an almost completely darkened environment as her Pokenav had been switched off, Shego quietly scoffed to herself. "Guess I'll sleep here then."

* * *

Almost the entire population of Mount Discipline's hidden village was in attendance of the looming gym battle between their talented and esteemed leader, Yori, and the challenger, one Kim Possible.

Not that the Gym was crowded, by any means. Essentially only a handful of ninjas populated the peak of Discipline, and Ron, Rufus and Petey were Kim's only supporters present.

Rufus waved his tiny 'KP' flag once more, the Bidoof actually positioned upon Petey's ample head. The Carnivine had been purposefully left to rest and watch from the sidelines for two main reasons: he was still recovering from a smarting Fire Punch in the face from Montgomery Fiske's Infernape and also, after Kim had researched upon her Pokenav Yori's Pokemon of choice, Ninjask, the would-be-challenger discovered a Grass type was not a suitable match-up against a flying bug.

From her end of the stadium, Yori bowed. "It is my honour to accept this challenge, Possible-san. Your help yesterday will not be forgotten by our clan."

Kim, fists clenched nervously in anticipation of the battle, nodded curtly. "Thanks. And it was no big." The redhead smiled, before taking a deep breath. She noticed this Gym's arena was starkly plain in comparison to Uppertown's Rock Gym; it was just a flat rectangle court, with the same linings and dimensions as its Uppertown counterpart, and the surface was compacted dirt also, but it was lacking any differing terrain or obstacles, such as the Uppertown rock mounds.

"The challenger may have gained our trust and friendship, but this is still a gym battle," the referee began, standing roughly in the middle between the two human trainers, at the side of the court closest to the crowd. Kim noticed the umpire, dressed all in black, was one of the young ninjas they had rescued the day before. She smiled briefly to herself before exhaling deeply again. _I hope Nala will be OK…_

"Standard elimination battle rules apply; both combatants are allowed two Pokemon each," the referee ninja spoke again, before signaling with his hand for the match to begin. "Commence when ready. Good luck."

"My first Pokemon shall be Ninjask," Yori announced, before unleashing her insect friend from its Pokeball.

_Thought as much…_ Kim grimaced. Ninjask was fast, but its body appeared fragile.

"Come on out, Nala!" Kim's voice was cheerful, but not overly confident. She knew Yori was skilled and Ninjask was well-trained, but she also had faith in her little Shinx.

Within seconds Nala appeared after being summoned from her Pokeball, her yellow eyes bright and wide, but also determined. The young Flash Pokemon was apprehensive and a little scared, but wanted to do her best for Kim.

With a small meow-like sound, Nala treaded her forepaws upon the ground, letting them sparkle with electricity, in an attempt to appear intimidating. The display was much closer to adorable, however, and even Yori could not help but smile, even as she sent her Ninjask to attack the cute competitor.

"Begin with Fury Swipes, Ninjask."

As Ninjask zoomed over in a blur, Kim called out: "I know it's fast, but watch and wait for your chance!"

Before the challenger even completed her sentence, Ninjask filled Nala's vision, and a high-pitched buzzing filled her large leonine ears. Sooner than the Shinx had a chance to duck, her face was scratched in rapid succession four times. Ninjask then zipped backwards to avoid a counter-attack, leaving a confused and slightly pained Nala to shake her head.

"It's OK Nala," Kim began, slight worry entering her voice, "just use Spark when you get the chance."

Nodding as the determination returned to her eyes, Nala then used her electrical stores to make her fur stand on end, so she suddenly appeared almost twice as large.

With bounding leaps, the enthusiastic Shinx then ran at the hovering Ninjask.

"Bug Bite," Yori calmly ordered, and her charge streaked past its fluffed-up opponent and halted behind the Shinx, before nipping the end of Nala's tail.

Nala let out a cry of pain before instinctively flicking her blue and yellow furred tail, loosening the sharp teeth of her foe. Ninjask was dislodged and lost its equilibrium momentarily, swaying a little in the air as it floated backwards. The Ninja Pokemon recovered quickly, but not quite quickly enough as it was then tackled with a full-bodied Spark attack seconds after Kim had given a command for her Shinx to do so when she saw the opening.

Airborne, with no limb or any other part of its body touching earthly ground, Ninjask was adversely affected by the electric offensive. Kim flicked her eyes up briefly to notice Yori wince slightly, the ninja's Pokemon drifting to the arena's surface as it smoked lightly, appearing frazzled.

Nala flashed a brief, sharp-toothed grin, happy to score at least one hit on the swift Ninjask.

Her Pokemon was dazed and its wing speed had slowed, but Yori knew Ninjask was not defeated yet. Sounding almost regretful, the ninja quietly commanded: "Dig."

Snapping to attention, Ninjask immediately dove under the soft earth of the dirt-covered arena, its forelegs whipping up dust in a frenzy. Her opponent all but disappeared, Nala glanced around in confusion and panic. Kim could see the faint lump of the burrowing bug beneath the surface of the court, and noticed it seemed to be moving behind Nala, hoping to catch the Shinx by surprise.

Once again, Ninjask's speed won out, for Kim yelled "Watch out, Nala!" just as the cicada-like Pokemon emerged, directly beneath the Shinx.

Ninjask exploded from the ground with vigour, sending Nala into the air with a plume of dirt close behind. The startled Shinx crashed down again after a few seconds, the stream of dirt following and landing on top of her.

With a whimper, the Shinx's electrified paws snuffed out, and she lay there, dazed and dirty.

"Ouch," Ron grimaced from his seat in the Gym's stands, placing his hands upon his face with a sympathetic wince.

Rufus nodded in agreement, lowering his flag, while Petey hid his eyes from the action behind his large leaf-like arms.

"I'm afraid Shinx is no longer able to continue," the referee announced, gesturing towards Kim with his right hand.

The challenger sighed sadly. "You OK, sweetie?"

Nala sneezed, before raising her head and gingerly nodding. Kim smiled compassionately in return. "Don't worry, you did your best!" With that, the redhead pressed the button upon Nala's Pokeball that summoned the Shinx to return inside. Speaking to the ball now, Kim continued, "Charlie will finish what you started."

The Charmander standing beside the challenger's legs inflated his chest with bravado, before running onto the arena, eager to win for both Kim and Nala.

Charlie's tail burned brightly as he neared the Ninjask, whom was still shaking dirt off itself. Kim's eyes flashed to Yori's for the briefest of moments, and the challenger thought she saw a hint of worry in the ninja's dark brown pools.

_She doesn't like Charlie being out there_, Kim concluded, growing a smirk as confidence filled her.

"Aerial Ace!" Yori shouted hurriedly, and Ninjask instantly raised a sharp-ended bug limb to strike the approaching Charmander.

"Let loose with Ember!" Kim had hollered at practically the same instant that Yori had given her command, and Charlie opened his mouth in preparation.

The young lizard was slashed across the nose as he let fire a stream of blazing embers, and Charlie immediately shut his eyes as they began to water from the pain. His mouth also closed as he took a cautious step backwards, his flame attack halting.

After a short moment, the Charmander opened his crisp blue eyes once more—and saw his opponent flat on its back upon the ground, staring up at the ceiling with dazed red coloured bug-eyes. Ninjask's body appeared singed in several places, tiny tendrils of smoke billowing upward from the Ninja Pokemon.

Yori gritted her teeth, awaiting the call of the referee.

"Ninjask is unable to battle further," Yori's fellow ninja signaled toward her, and she sighed.

"Well done, Ninjask. You fought with honour." She held up a Pokeball, and in an instant, Ninjask was returned to it. "I know you are not fond of fire, my friend."

"Yes! Awesome, Charlie!" Kim pumped her fist triumphantly in the air, before asking: "Is your nose OK?"

Charlie tentatively tapped his nose where Ninjask had cut it, before nodding and replying with a happy "Charr."

Yori smiled at both of her opponents. "Very well done, Possible-san. But you must remember this is not over yet." Retrieving a second Pokeball from within her form-hugging gi, the ninja quietly announced "It is your turn now, Shedinja."

Once the newest Pokemon combatant had manifested, the only words that Kim could think, or indeed, say, were "What the…?"

She had researched other Flying/Bug hybrid Pokemon when contemplating what Yori's second choice in the battle arena might have been, but Kim did not discover any information regarding the odd creature that currently levitated halfway across the room from her.

It bore a _**very**_ vague resemblance to Ninjask, and bugs in general, but basically it was a lightly-brown coloured floating shell. A strange white semi-circular growth was attached to what Kim guessed was the Shedinja's head, making it seem, eerily, that the creature sported a halo.

Kim scratched the side of her face absent-mindedly, baffled by the Shedinja's ghoulish appearance. Charlie unconsciously mimicked his Master's expression, causing Yori to laugh briefly.

"Most people have such a reaction when they first encounter Shedinja, if they are not familiar with the Pokemon." She glanced briefly toward the small crowd, immediately noticing Ron, who was staring at Shedinja as if it were an unsolvable mathematics equation. The ninja smiled to herself, blushing lightly, before reining in her emotions to steel herself for the second half of the battle.

Ron was not flabbergasted enough that he completely failed to notice Yori gaze at him for a moment. The blonde was unable to hold in a giddy smile, but instantly felt a twinge of guilt. He wanted KP to win the gym challenge, for sure; but he had felt an immediate attraction to the female ninja that was Kim's current opponent, too. Therefore he wished for Yori to also do well… maybe it would be too much to hope for a draw?

"Shedinja… O-kaaaaay," Kim finally said after a significant silence, the redhead still frowning in puzzlement. "Well, it's weird, but that doesn't mean it can't be beaten. Let's go Charlie!"

The Charmander flexed his claws, finally snapping out of his Shedinja-inspired stupor. "Char!"

"Metal Claw, Charlie!"

Yori was not about to allow the energetic little Charmander gain the upper hand by striking first. "Use Shadow Claw, Shedinja."

The floating husk, approximately the same size as a Ninjask, barely moved one of its stiff, rounded forelegs as the pointy end of the limb became shrouded in dark energy. Charlie was rushing forward, preparing his own clawed attack, the razor-sharp nails of his right hand gleaming a metallic silver.

Charlie leapt up and slashed at the Shedinja with talons hard as steel; but his claws seemed to pass right through the body of his barely shifting opponent.

Kim widened her eyes in shock; that attack should surely have hit! Charlie, too, was surprised. Recovering from his actions, he only managed a quick puzzled glance at his adversary before a shadow-enshrouded Shedinja claw swiped him across the face.

Charlie yelped and his raised his hands to his nose, the victim of yet another slashing attack. An eerie aura of darkness clouded the Charmander's vision for a moment after the Shadow Claw initially hit, but it soon dissipated, revealing a stiffly indifferent Shedinja.

"I don't get it, his Metal Claw didn't do anything," Kim muttered to herself, scrunching her brow in confusion and concentration. After a moment of thought, the redheaded challenger shrugged, before calling out: "Try using Ember instead!"

Yori visibly stiffened, her expression becoming tense. "You must dodge it, Shedinja! Then attack once again with Shadow Claw!"

Shedinja's claw began to pulsate in darkness once more as it prepared to evade Charlie's attack, but the hollow shell of a Pokemon was too slow, and it was soon sprayed with sizzling embers.

In the quickest movement it exhibited since its arrival in the arena, Shedinja dropped to the floor like a bag of lead almost the instant Charlie's Ember attack first connected with it. Kim was happily shocked by the lack of stamina her opponent Pokemon seemed to possess, breaking into a smile slowly as the reality of her victory became apparent.

"I am sorry honorable Yori-san," the referee began, "but Shedinja is no longer able to battle." The young male ninja offered his superior a sad smile. "The challenger wins."

Yori sighed, a little disappointed, but did not seem too surprised. "Return, Shedinja." She held up her charge's Pokeball. Once the Shed Pokemon had safely returned to its part-time abode, Yori continued: "You too, fought with honour. I am proud of you."

The ninja was then distracted by a loud, jubilant cry of "Spankin'!" and she glanced up to witness an overjoyed Kim scoop up an equally happy Charlie in her arms. "Way to go Charlie! You rock the house!"

"Booyah!" Ron cheered, genuinely ecstatic for his friend. He knew there could really only be one victor, and was impressed that Yori had also battled so competently. "Another Gym win for KP!" He gave Rufus a finger-to-paw high five, whilst Petey waved his leafy arms around in joyful celebration.

"_Whew_," Kim exhaled as Yori came to greet her in the centre of the court. "That was an interesting fight. Thanks, Yori."

Yori bowed, a small smile flickering upon her face, and Kim returned the gesture of honour, despite still hugging Charlie to her form.

"A well deserved victory, Possible-san. Your Shinx and Charmander were most honorable, as were you."

Kim felt her cheeks flush a little at the praise. Charlie just smiled wider, however, upon hearing himself being referred to as 'honorable'.

Yori reached out to pet the beaming fire-lizard. "My strategy was risky. Shedinja is… quite a unique Pokemon." The ninja's smile widened. "Either it will be completely invulnerable to its opponent's attacks, or it will be greatly affected by the weakest move. Unfortunately for Shedinja-san and myself, Fire-type moves are amongst those it cannot tolerate."

As the defeated Gym Leader took a step backward and straightened her posture, Kim's hand moved to Charlie's head in place of Yori's. She was proud of Nala and the Charmander she currently petted, but Kim had to admit, she was rather lucky regarding the speedy defeat of Shedinja.

Yori cleared her throat, before pulling a small metallic object from within a hidden pocket on her gi. "Possible-san, it is my honour to bestow to you the mount Discipline Gym Honour Badge. Congratulations on climbing another step toward the pinnacle of the Latro Region Pokemon League!"

"Uh, well, thanks," Kim quietly replied as she accepted the gleaming Honour Badge. _Wish Will Du coulda been this nice when I beat him… but that's Will, I suppose._

The victor studied her prize with intrigued verdant green eyes. No bigger than a quarter, the upper portion of the badge resembled a shuriken, whilst the lower half was rectangular shaped and inscribed there were the words 'Honour Badge'. Kim guessed the words 'Mount Discipline Gym' would be carved on the reverse side, as was the case with the badge she attained from Will at the Uppertown Gym.

Now that the spectacle of the battle was over, Ron had ambled down from the stadium stands to congratulate his friend. "Way to go, KP! Two down, six to go, huh?"

Rufus pumped a furry fist in the air, the Bidoof now riding upon his human's shoulder, as was most often the case. Petey drifted over to Kim's side, grinning even wider than usual, obviously gleeful for his Master.

Yori clasped her hands together, trying not to appear nervous due to the question she was about to ask. "There is still the matter of your prize money to collect, Possible-san, and, uh… I know it is not yet lunch time, but it would be our honour to host another dinner tonight for you, and… Stoppable-san. Can you stay another day?"

Kim blinked in surprise. She glanced at Ron, who was smiling a wide, goofy smile at Yori's offer. A sly grin formed upon Kim's lips. "Well, sure, that'd be great. We're not really in any hurry to move on, are we, Stoppable-san?"

Ron only responded once he felt Kim gently nudge him in the ribs. "Uh, yeah! Booyah for free food!"

Yori only giggled coyly at his response.

So that evening, Kim, Ron and their Pokemon enjoyed another traditional Japanese meal with the ninja clan of Mount Discipline. Kim was aware of Ron and Yori's shy, subtle flirting, but was also distracted by her own thoughts. She replayed the events of the last few days over in her mind, helping Yori defeat Lord Montgomery Fiske, learning the myths involved with the Topaz of Knowledge, her victory over Yori hours earlier…

Glancing at her three Pokemon companions as they all feasted on their dinner, unconsciously, Kim found a warm, fond smile spread upon her pretty face. She felt content, exhilarated and excited about continuing her Pokemon journey… Yeah, Ron's idea for Kim to set off on this adventure was a truly wonderful one; it was a unique, engaging experience, and the perfect distraction from her dimensional dilemma.

* * *

Pepe glared at the other Pokemon occupying the room. He was used to being Gemini's only pet, lavished with attention, praise and toys on a regular basis… Master Gemini usually considered other Pokemon only to be tools, workers, so the Poochyena knew he was special. So why was Master currently indulging another Pokemon with adoring words?

Alone in his office apart from the two Pokemon present, Gemini's smile was almost splitting his chubby, unshaven face. Unaware of his pet Poochyena's jealous disdain as the small Bite Pokemon growled lowly in the room's corner, Gemini's single working eye was focused solely on the object being offered to him.

A yellow gemstone clasped in a razor-sharp pincer was all the unscrupulous leader of Team Gemini saw.

"Well done, Gliscor," the portly man chuckled. "I had a feeling Fiske would not succeed."

With his natural hand, Gemini carefully plucked the Topaz of Knowledge from the Fang-Scorpion Pokemon's claw. "I was sure_** you**_ would come through for me, though." Studying the sparkling jewel for a moment, he then met Gliscor's slit-thin yellow eyes. "So what shall we target next, hmm? The Ruby of Emotion… or the Sapphire of Willpower?"

* * *

Next chapter: Kim welcomes a new addition to her team, and runs into Monique again.


End file.
